Hound Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• Hound Partners LLC boosted its Carnival stake 5.7% in Q3 to 3,686,833 shares (about $106.6M), making CCL 13.7% of the fund's portfolio and its largest holding.
• Other major institutions piled in too—Vanguard now owns 126.66M shares (~$3.56B) and firms like Holocene, Wellington, Dimensional and 59 North significantly increased positions, leaving 67.19% institutional ownership.
• Carnival beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.34 vs. $0.25), set FY2026 guidance of 2.48 EPS and pays a $0.15 quarterly dividend (2.5% yield), but near‑term risks from rising fuel costs after Middle East tensions and recent analyst cuts could pressure the stock.

Hound Partners LLC boosted its stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 5.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,686,833 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 198,850 shares during the quarter. Carnival comprises 13.7% of Hound Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Hound Partners LLC owned 0.32% of Carnival worth $106,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CCL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Carnival by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 126,663,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,561,777,000 after buying an additional 7,157,739 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 184.3% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 10,289,947 shares of the company's stock worth $289,353,000 after acquiring an additional 6,669,935 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Carnival by 99.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Carnival by 50.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, 59 North Capital Management LP increased its stake in Carnival by 117.1% in the second quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 7,704,185 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,642,000 after acquiring an additional 4,155,630 shares during the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seabourn (Carnival’s luxury brand) unveiled a new high‑end “Denali Experience” pre‑cruise program for Alaska in 2027–28 — a small but constructive product expansion that supports higher‑margin, premium offerings. Seabourn Denali Experience
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation piece reviews CCL after recent share cooling, noting mixed momentum (short‑term weakness but positive 1‑year performance) — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Assessing Carnival Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Industry news: Royal Caribbean plunged after an oil spike tied to Iran tanker strikes; reports note Carnival also fell and may be more exposed if it lacks fuel hedges — rising bunker costs threaten margins and drive near‑term downside. RCL Oil Spike / Impact on Carnival
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage: Benzinga and Zacks reported CCL sliding as Middle East tensions lifted oil and investors sold into the risk — these stories reflect momentum selling and sentiment shifts that can exacerbate price moves. Benzinga: Stock Slides as Oil Rises Zacks: CCL Declines
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: The Goldman Sachs Group issued a pessimistic forecast for CCL and Stifel lowered its price target to $35 — analyst downgrades/target cuts increase selling pressure and can influence institutional flows. Goldman Sachs Forecast Stifel Lowers Price Target

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $23.97 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $30.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.42. Carnival Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $15.07 and a fifty-two week high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Carnival's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on CCL. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Carnival from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded Carnival from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Carnival currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.70.

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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