Carnival Corporation $CCL Shares Purchased by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden more than doubled its Carnival stake in the first quarter, increasing holdings by 109% to 307,700 shares valued at about $7.96 million.
• Carnival’s latest quarterly results beat profit expectations, reporting EPS of $0.41 versus the $0.34 consensus, while revenue came in at $6.66 billion, slightly below estimates.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on the stock, with analysts assigning a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $35.23, above the recent trading price around $27.95.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its position in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 109.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 307,700 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 160,500 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Carnival were worth $7,963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Carnival by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company's stock worth $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Carnival during the first quarter worth about $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 61.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company's stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 41.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company's stock worth $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 57.0% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Carnival in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. HSBC raised Carnival from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Carnival from a "market perform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Carnival has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.23.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of CCL stock opened at $27.95 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.47. The company has a market cap of $38.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.59, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.32. Carnival Corporation has a 12 month low of $23.45 and a 12 month high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.Carnival's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Carnival

In related news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,209,929.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 69,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,945,587.80. The trade was a 38.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company's stock.

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.

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