Junto Capital Management LP Decreases Holdings in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• Junto Capital Management LP reduced its stake in Carnival Corporation by 33.0%, now holding 4,717,278 shares valued at approximately $92.13 million.
• Approximately 67.19% of Carnival's stock is owned by hedge funds and institutional investors, indicating significant institutional interest in the company.
• Carnival recently reported a 9.5% increase in revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share of $0.35 exceeding analyst expectations.

Junto Capital Management LP reduced its position in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 33.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,717,278 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,326,705 shares during the period. Carnival accounts for approximately 1.9% of Junto Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Junto Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.40% of Carnival worth $92,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Carnival in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Carnival in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new stake in Carnival during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival during the first quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of CCL stock traded down $0.74 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $31.16. The company had a trading volume of 15,237,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,377,051. The stock's 50-day moving average is $29.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 2.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. Carnival Corporation has a 52 week low of $15.07 and a 52 week high of $32.77.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 24th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 9.72% and a return on equity of 27.88%. Carnival's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.11 earnings per share. Carnival has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.970-1.970 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.300-1.300 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CCL. Citigroup lifted their price target on Carnival from $30.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Loop Capital restated a "hold" rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on Carnival from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Macquarie lowered their price target on shares of Carnival from $31.00 to $26.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Carnival 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. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.71.

Insider Transactions at Carnival

In related news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.75, for a total value of $371,875.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 64,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,916,078.50. This represents a 16.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Carnival Company 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.