Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $34.45 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a positive outlook: Carnival has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from 26 analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $34.45 versus a recent share price of $21.80.
• Recent results beat expectations: Carnival reported quarterly EPS of $0.41, ahead of the $0.34 consensus, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $6.66 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share.
• Fuel costs and leverage remain key risks: Carnival’s lack of fuel hedges exposes it to rising oil prices, while higher expenses, softer pricing, European sailing disruptions and its substantial debt burden could pressure future earnings and financial flexibility.

Shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.45.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CCL shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Carnival from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Freedom Capital raised Carnival to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan maintained an “overweight” rating while lowering its price target from $43 to $39. Bank of America also retained a “buy” rating with a revised $38 target, versus a broader Street target near $34. Carnival hit by rising oil costs as BofA cuts price target
• Positive Sentiment: Value-oriented investors may view Carnival’s low valuation and substantial free-cash-flow generation as attractive ahead of earnings. Analysts generally remain optimistic about the company’s long-term recovery despite its recent underperformance. Carnival Corp Stock Looks Cheap to Value Investors Ahead of Earnings Next Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Carnival’s Seabourn and Princess brands are promoting new 2026–2029 sailings and holiday cruises. These initiatives could support bookings, although discounts and shipboard credits may pressure near-term yields. Seabourn Explore Beyond Event
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival is described as the only major cruise operator without fuel hedges, leaving it especially exposed to surging oil prices. Bank of America expects the impact to be more significant in the fourth quarter than in the upcoming third quarter. Carnival hit by rising oil costs as BofA cuts price target
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reduced its 2026 revenue estimate by 1% and cut its 2026 and 2027 EPS forecasts by 3%, citing higher fuel expenses and softer pricing. Carnival also lowered its 2026 yield outlook after Middle East-related disruption affected European sailings, although some of the reduction reflected a decision to protect pricing rather than fill cabins. Carnival faces fuel and pricing headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival’s high debt burden means much of its strong free cash flow is committed to lenders, limiting financial flexibility. A selloff in Royal Caribbean following its proposed Sandals investment also dragged down cruise-line peers, adding sector-wide pressure. Is Carnival Stock Cheap, or Is the Cash Already Spoken For?

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of CCL opened at $21.80 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $25.45 and its 200 day moving average is $26.38. Carnival has a 12-month low of $21.45 and a 12-month high of $34.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market cap of $29.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 2.31.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The business had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. Carnival's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Carnival will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Carnival's dividend payout ratio is 27.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival during the first quarter worth $1,732,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Carnival by 95.9% in the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 889,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,017,000 after purchasing an additional 435,470 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Carnival during the 2nd quarter valued at $15,383,000. National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,228,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,246,000 after purchasing an additional 258,460 shares during the period. Finally, Allstate Corp lifted its holdings in Carnival by 96.5% during the 4th quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 74,258 shares of the company's stock worth $2,268,000 after purchasing an additional 36,476 shares in the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carnival Company Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its cruise brands serve travelers in North America, Europe, Australia, and other international markets, offering ocean voyages to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia, and other regions.

The company's brand portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises, and P&O Cruises Australia.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.