Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 42,858,060 shares, a decline of 25.4% from the November 30th total of 57,414,477 shares. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 17,652,362 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 17,652,362 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $30.82. 9,262,128 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,617,928. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Carnival has a twelve month low of $15.07 and a twelve month high of $32.89. The company has a market cap of $35.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 2.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.73.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CCL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 6.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 126,663,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,561,777,000 after acquiring an additional 7,157,739 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in Carnival by 184.3% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 10,289,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,353,000 after purchasing an additional 6,669,935 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Carnival by 99.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,159,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,535,000 after buying an additional 6,066,336 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 50.7% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,510,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $419,573,000 after buying an additional 4,883,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 59 North Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 117.1% during the second quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 7,704,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,642,000 after buying an additional 4,155,630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Carnival from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Carnival from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 4th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Carnival currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.45.

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) is a global cruise operator that provides leisure travel services through a portfolio of passenger cruise brands. The company’s core business is operating cruise ships that offer multi-night voyages and associated vacation services, including onboard accommodations, dining, entertainment, spa and wellness offerings, casinos, youth programs, and organized shore excursions. Carnival markets cruise vacations to a broad range of consumers, from value-focused travelers to premium and luxury segments, through differentiated brand positioning and onboard experiences.

Its operating structure comprises multiple well-known cruise brands that target distinct geographic and demographic markets.