Carnival Corporation $CCL Shares Purchased by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management nearly doubled its stake in Carnival in the first quarter, buying an additional 435,470 shares and bringing its total holding to 889,393 shares worth about $23 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive on Carnival, with analysts holding a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $34.94. Several firms recently upgraded or raised targets, including HSBC, TD Cowen, Stifel, Mizuho, and Freedom Capital.
• Carnival has shown solid operating results, reporting Q1 EPS of $0.20 on revenue of $6.17 billion, both above expectations, and it also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share. However, the stock faces pressure from insider sales and concerns over fuel costs and a Texas probe into a major data breach.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 95.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 889,393 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 435,470 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.07% of Carnival worth $23,017,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carnival during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Carnival during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Carnival by 381.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Carnival in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. HSBC raised Carnival from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Carnival to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Carnival currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.94.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish commentary suggests Carnival could still have meaningful upside if strong cruise demand, pricing power, and easing energy costs continue to support results. Carnival Corporation: A 40 Percent Upside Scenario Is On The Table
• Positive Sentiment: Cruise stocks have recently rallied on lower oil prices and hopes for reduced geopolitical risk, which has helped sentiment around Carnival and the broader sector. Carnival Earnings Are a Big Test for the Cruise Stocks Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are waiting for Carnival’s quarterly update to answer key questions about revenue growth, margins, and the outlook for the rest of the year. Carnival (CCL) Reports Q2: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage ahead of the report highlights that Carnival’s earnings could be influenced by higher fuel prices, which may weigh on profitability even if demand stays solid. Carnival Q2 2026 earnings preview: Higher fuel prices expected to hurt earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival’s shares also face pressure from Texas opening an investigation into a major April data breach, adding a fresh legal and reputational overhang. Carnival Stock (CCL) Drops as Texas Probes Massive April Data Breach

Insider Transactions at Carnival

In other news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,209,929.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 69,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,945,587.80. This represents a 38.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total transaction of $313,965.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 52,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,620.19. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 55,058 shares of company stock worth $1,524,195. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Carnival Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of CCL opened at $30.15 on Tuesday. Carnival Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $22.58 and a fifty-two week high of $34.03. The company has a market capitalization of $37.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 2.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $27.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.30.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 11.48%.The business's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.67%.

Carnival 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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