California State Teachers Retirement System Purchases 41,137,642 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• CalSTRS dramatically increased its Carnival stake by purchasing 41.1 million shares in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 42.4 million shares valued at approximately $1.21 billion, or 3.1% of the company.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with Carnival carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $35.08. Recent analyst actions included upgrades and higher targets from Tigress Financial, Wells Fargo, and Truist Financial.
• Carnival reported quarterly EPS of $0.41, beating estimates, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $6.66 billion. However, the stock opened at $22.75 near its 52-week low, pressured by higher crude oil prices and interest-rate concerns; the company also maintains a $0.15 quarterly dividend.

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 3,198.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,423,964 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 41,137,642 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 3.10% of Carnival worth $1,212,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its holdings in Carnival by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 10,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Carnival by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 7,935 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in shares of Carnival by 1.9% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 21,363 shares of the company's stock valued at $618,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 66.4% in the second 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 period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 33,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on CCL. Tigress Financial raised 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. Barclays cut their target price on Carnival from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Carnival from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Melius Research set a $36.00 price target on Carnival in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Carnival presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.08.

Carnival Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE CCL opened at $22.75 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $26.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.15 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 2.31. Carnival Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $22.28 and a fifty-two week high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.29.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. Equities analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.03%.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded Carnival to “strong buy.” The upgrade could support investor confidence and suggests the analyst sees an attractive risk-reward profile after the recent selloff. TD Cowen upgrade report
• Positive Sentiment: Citi maintained its “buy” rating on Carnival, reinforcing the view that the decline may have created a valuation opportunity. Citi buy rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Reservations opened for Carnival Tropicale, the final Excel-class ship, which is scheduled to sail from Galveston in 2028. The launch expands Carnival’s future capacity and revenue pipeline. Carnival Tropicale reservations announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity included an approximately $2.2 million long straddle on Carnival, signaling expectations for a potentially significant move but not a clear bullish or bearish direction. Unusual options activity report
• Negative Sentiment: Surging global crude oil prices and elevated interest-rate expectations pressured CCL. Higher fuel costs can reduce cruise margins, while higher rates increase financing costs and may weigh on discretionary travel demand. Carnival stock decline report
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival reached a new 52-week low amid the extended selloff, highlighting weak momentum and continued investor concern despite the company’s analyst support. Carnival 52-week low report

Carnival 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.

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