Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carnival (NYSE:CCL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays dropped their target price on Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup increased their target price on Carnival from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Carnival from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.00.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $32.42 on Friday. Carnival has a 12 month low of $15.07 and a 12 month high of $32.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 2.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.22.

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

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Carnival by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,242,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,957,000 after purchasing an additional 29,358 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 141.1% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 11,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 6,631 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 3,556,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,603,000 after buying an additional 537,167 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter worth $25,027,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S increased its position in Carnival by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 599,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,312,000 after acquiring an additional 81,400 shares during the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.