Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Stock Has Average Target Price of $34.16 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 31 firms give Carnival a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, and the average 12-month price target is $34.16. Recent target changes range from cuts to $30 to increases or reaffirmations at $36.
• Carnival beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $1.43 versus $1.35 expected and revenue of $8.44 billion versus $8.39 billion expected; revenue rose 3.5% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, equivalent to $0.60 annually and a stated yield of 2.1%.

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirty-one research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.16.

A number of research firms have recently commented on CCL. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Freedom Broker increased their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Carnival from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 16th.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of CCL opened at $29.20 on Friday. Carnival has a 52-week low of $21.45 and a 52-week high of $34.03. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $25.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 2.48.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Carnival had a return on equity of 24.83% and a net margin of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Carnival will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 6th. Carnival's payout ratio is presently 26.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.75, for a total value of $693,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 63,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,762,263.75. This trade represents a 28.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 66.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 107.8% in the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 22.7% in the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,932 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 6.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 9,017 shares of the company's stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 116.9% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,093 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global cruise company that operates cruise lines and provides ship-based vacations. Its brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, and P&O Cruises. The company's offerings include cruise itineraries, onboard accommodations, dining and entertainment, as well as shore excursions and other guest experiences. Its ships serve destinations across regions including the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Australia and Asia.

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