Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys 1,484,338 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund dramatically increased its Carnival stake in Q1, buying 1,484,338 shares and lifting its total holding to 1,527,262 shares worth about $39.5 million.
• Carnival reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.41 per share versus $0.34 expected, with revenue rising 5.3% year over year to $6.66 billion.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $35.08.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 3,458.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,527,262 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,484,338 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned 0.12% of Carnival worth $39,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CCL. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Carnival during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Carnival during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Carnival by 381.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 67.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Carnival

In other news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the business's 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 owned 69,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,945,587.80. The trade was a 38.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on CCL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Carnival from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Carnival has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.08.

Carnival Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of CCL stock opened at $26.36 on Friday. Carnival Corporation has a 12 month low of $23.45 and a 12 month high of $34.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The firm has a market cap of $36.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 2.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.52 and a 200-day moving average of $28.06.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The business had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. Carnival's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.03%.

Carnival Company 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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