Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 683,311 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its Carnival stake by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 683,311 shares and bringing its total holding to 29.45 million shares worth about $896.1 million.
• Carnival reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.20 versus $0.18 expected and revenue of $6.17 billion versus $6.13 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.1% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on CCL, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.13, though some firms recently trimmed targets amid mixed outlook updates.

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,450,412 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 683,311 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.52% of Carnival worth $896,104,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CCL. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 99.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,159,619 shares of the company's stock worth $351,535,000 after acquiring an additional 6,066,336 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 50.7% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,510,016 shares of the company's stock worth $419,573,000 after acquiring an additional 4,883,024 shares during the period. Causeway Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 9.6% in the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company's stock worth $922,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,927 shares during the period. Alua Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Carnival in the third quarter worth approximately $68,557,000. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 4.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,369,740 shares of the company's stock worth $1,369,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,850 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Carnival Price Performance

CCL stock opened at $28.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 2.33. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $22.11 and a 52-week high of $34.03. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.02.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 11.48%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. Research analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CCL shares. HSBC raised shares of Carnival from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $28.70 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Carnival from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Carnival from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $314,265. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories 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

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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