GAMMA Investing LLC Boosts Holdings in Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 2,135.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 463,974 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 443,222 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC's holdings in Carnival Co. & were worth $9,061,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in Carnival Co. & in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carnival Co. & in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival Co. & in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival Co. & during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival Co. & during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Carnival Co. & Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of CCL traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.31. 16,618,537 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,475,406. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.96. The stock has a market cap of $28.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.58. Carnival Co. & plc has a twelve month low of $13.78 and a twelve month high of $28.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

Carnival Co. & (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, March 21st. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $5.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.74 billion. Carnival Co. & had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 24.13%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.14) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Carnival Co. & plc will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CCL shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Carnival Co. & from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Carnival Co. & from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. HSBC raised shares of Carnival Co. & from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Carnival Co. & from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a "buy" rating on shares of Carnival Co. & in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.47.

Carnival Co. & Profile

Carnival Corp. engages in the operation of cruise ships. It operates through the following business segments: North America and Australia (NAA) Cruise, Europe and Asia (EA) Cruise Operations, Cruise Support, and Tour and Others. The North America and Australia (NAA) Cruise segment includes the Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.