Bank of America Issues Positive Forecast for Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Bank of America raised its target on Carnival from $40 to $45 and kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 41.89% upside from the stock's current price.
• Carnival missed quarterly estimates with $0.23 EPS vs. $0.25 expected and $6.33B revenue vs. $6.38B, while guiding Q1 2026 EPS of 0.17 and FY2026 EPS of 2.48.
• The stock holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" (average price target $34.78) with 1 Strong Buy, 20 Buy and 9 Hold ratings, and institutional owners hold about 67.2% of shares.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by Bank of America from $40.00 to $45.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Bank of America's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 41.89% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on CCL. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Carnival from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.78.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $31.72. 8,334,633 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,472,258. Carnival has a 12 month low of $15.07 and a 12 month high of $32.89. The business's 50-day moving average is $28.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 2.51.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02). Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 research analysts expect that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CCL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Carnival by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 127,764,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,693,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101,344 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 4.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,369,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,369,459,000 after buying an additional 1,845,850 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in Carnival by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 36,109,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,043,929,000 after buying an additional 291,864 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Carnival by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company's stock worth $922,576,000 after buying an additional 2,783,927 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Carnival by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,617,014 shares of the company's stock worth $773,398,000 after acquiring an additional 1,906,110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

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.

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