Carnival Corporation $CCL Stock: Godsey & Gibb Inc. Increases Position

Key Points

• Godsey & Gibb Inc. dramatically increased its Carnival stake by 192,338 shares, bringing its holdings to 192,438 shares valued at approximately $4.7 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.19% of CCL.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Carnival has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 28 analysts, with an average price target of $34.14 versus the stock’s reported $25.95 price.
• Carnival exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.43 in EPS and $8.44 billion in revenue, with revenue up 3.5% year over year. Strong bookings and customer deposits indicate resilient cruise demand, although some forward earnings estimates were reduced.

Godsey & Gibb Inc. increased its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 192,338.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 192,438 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 192,338 shares during the period. Godsey & Gibb Inc.'s holdings in Carnival were worth $4,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carnival during the second quarter worth $29,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carnival during the second quarter worth $29,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 107.8% in the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 67.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CCL shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $31.00 to $32.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Carnival in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Carnival from $43.00 to $39.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Carnival from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $34.14.

Carnival Price Performance

CCL stock opened at $25.95 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $24.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.41. Carnival Corporation has a 52-week low of $21.45 and a 52-week high of $34.03. The company has a market capitalization of $34.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 2.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 EPS 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 company had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. The business'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. Analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s Princess Cruises announced more than 250 departures for its 2028–2029 Americas season, including a return to the Amazon and itineraries covering the Caribbean, Hawaii, South America and Antarctica. Expanded deployment could support future bookings and revenue. Princess Cruises 2028-2029 Americas season
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted record third-quarter results, including approximately $8.4 billion in revenue and $1.9 billion in net income, alongside strong customer deposits and bookings extending into 2027. These trends suggest resilient cruise demand. Carnival record Q3 earnings and bookings
• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial reaffirmed its “buy” rating and maintained a $42 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. Tigress Financial rating coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Seabourn, Carnival’s luxury brand, unveiled its 2029 ocean program with more than 200 destinations, a return to Egypt and new Northern European itineraries. The announcement broadens long-term product offerings but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Seabourn 2029 ocean voyages
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research made a modest increase to its FY2026 EPS estimate, from $2.22 to $2.24, and small upward revisions to select 2027 quarterly forecasts. Its current full-year consensus estimate is $2.27 per share.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered estimates for Q4 2026 EPS to $0.20 from $0.26, Q1 2027 EPS to $0.14 from $0.19, Q2 2028 EPS to $0.53 from $0.56, FY2027 EPS to $2.55 from $2.57, and FY2028 EPS to $2.90 from $2.93. The clustered cuts may be weighing on sentiment despite strong current demand.

Carnival Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc NYSE: CCL is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its brands offer ocean cruises, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodation, excursions and other travel experiences to passengers across a range of price points and destinations.

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

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