Forsta AP Fonden Increases Stock Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden nearly doubled its stake in Carnival during the fourth quarter, increasing its holdings by 92.9% to 676,200 shares worth about $20.7 million.
• Carnival is drawing mixed but mostly positive attention from analysts and investors, with several firms raising or maintaining bullish ratings and a consensus Moderate Buy target of $34.13. The company also reported earnings and revenue that beat expectations in its latest quarter.
• Despite supportive trends like lower fuel costs and continued demand for travel, Carnival is facing a cybersecurity breach that exposed personal data and triggered a law firm investigation, creating potential legal and reputational risk.

Forsta AP Fonden raised its position in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 92.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 676,200 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 325,600 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden owned about 0.05% of Carnival worth $20,651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company's stock worth $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 1st quarter worth about $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 61.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company's stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 41.9% in the 1st 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 during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 57.0% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company's stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple recent articles argue Carnival still looks attractive for buyers, citing a cheap valuation and potential upside if cruise demand stays solid. One note highlighted “3 reasons to buy” the stock, while another said there was “no disruption” to the company’s broader travel story. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Lower oil prices are being viewed as a tailwind for Carnival because fuel is one of its biggest operating costs, and recent travel data suggest consumers are still planning vacations. That combination supports margins and could improve earnings expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Holland America, one of Carnival’s brands, announced year-round Europe cruising for 2027-2028. The expansion reinforces long-term demand and capacity planning, but it is not likely to affect near-term results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One market note said Carnival insiders sold about $13 million in shares over the past year, which can make investors cautious, but it is not by itself a clear fundamental change. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival disclosed a cybersecurity incident that exposed names, addresses, and government ID numbers after attackers tricked an employee through a social-engineering attack. That creates reputational risk, possible remediation costs, and potential legal exposure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm has launched an investigation into the breach, raising the chance of class-action claims and additional costs tied to the incident. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were 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 approximately $1,377,620.19. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $314,265. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Carnival from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.13.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $28.06 on Friday. Carnival Corporation has a 1 year low of $22.11 and a 1 year high of $34.03. The firm's 50-day moving average is $26.35 and its 200 day moving average is $28.02. The stock has a market cap of $34.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 2.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 26.92%. Carnival's revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report).

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.