Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.220-2.220 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.230. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Carnival also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 1.350-1.350 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CCL shares. Weiss Ratings cut Carnival from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays set a $35.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.90.

Carnival Trading Down 4.8%

Shares of CCL stock opened at $28.75 on Wednesday. Carnival has a 1-year low of $23.45 and a 1-year high of $34.03. The firm has a market cap of $35.62 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 2.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 11.48%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Carnival will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Carnival’s payout ratio is presently 26.67%.

Insider Transactions at Carnival

In other Carnival news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of Carnival stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,209,929.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,945,587.80. The trade was a 38.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total value of $313,965.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,377,620.19. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 55,058 shares of company stock worth $1,524,195 in the last ninety days. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival reported record Q2 results, including adjusted EPS of $0.41 versus expectations around $0.34-$0.35, revenue of $6.66 billion, record net yields, and record customer deposits, showing demand remains resilient. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong bookings, ongoing yield growth, cost efficiencies, and continued deleveraging, which analysts at UBS and William Blair said support further upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Carnival said it surpassed $450 million in stock repurchases, reinforcing shareholder-return momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage over the past day also highlighted Carnival as a leader among leisure stocks and noted renewed investor interest after a strong one-year return. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were disappointed by Carnival’s third-quarter EPS guidance of about $1.35, which came in below Wall Street expectations near $1.42, and by a slightly softer full-year outlook. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel costs and geopolitical disruptions, especially in the Middle East and Mediterranean, are weighing on sentiment and raising concern that strong Q2 results may not fully carry into the second half of 2026. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports also pointed to pressure from a Texas investigation into Carnival’s April data breach, adding a separate headline risk for the stock. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in Carnival by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 24,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Carnival by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,922,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,194,000 after buying an additional 3,005,752 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 219.2% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 713,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,788,000 after buying an additional 489,959 shares during the period. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC increased its position in Carnival by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 22,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,000 after acquiring an additional 6,223 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury raised its stake in Carnival by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 412,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,395,000 after acquiring an additional 17,880 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Company Profile

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.