Legal & General Group Plc Boosts Holdings in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Carnival by 12.8% in Q3 to 5,476,341 shares — roughly 0.47% of the company valued at about $158.3 million.
• Other large institutions (Vanguard, Holocene, Dimensional, 59 North, MFS) also materially boosted positions, leaving about 67.19% of Carnival owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $34.70 (19 Buys, 9 Holds), but recent downgrades, trimmed targets and oil-driven fuel cost concerns have weighed on near-term sentiment.

Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,476,341 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 622,027 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.47% of Carnival worth $158,321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Carnival by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 126,663,493 shares of the company's stock worth $3,561,777,000 after purchasing an additional 7,157,739 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in Carnival by 184.3% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 10,289,947 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,353,000 after buying an additional 6,669,935 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Carnival by 50.7% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,510,016 shares of the company's stock valued at $419,573,000 after buying an additional 4,883,024 shares in the last quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP raised 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 buying an additional 4,155,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Carnival by 1,945.8% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,170,268 shares of the company's stock worth $120,562,000 after acquiring an additional 3,966,422 shares in the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CCL shares. Zacks Research lowered Carnival from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.70.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seabourn (Carnival’s luxury brand) announced “The Denali Experience,” an eight-day pre-cruise program for 2027–2028 that expands high-margin luxury offerings and could help yield and pricing in the premium segment. SEABOURN INTRODUCES THE DENALI EXPERIENCE, EXTENDING ALASKA VOYAGES INTO THE HEART OF DENALI NATIONAL PARK IN 2027 AND 2028
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market write-ups show valuation momentum cooling after recent gains; investors are reassessing whether the stock’s run is sustainable amid mixed short-term performance. Assessing Carnival Corporation (CCL) Valuation After Recent Share Price Cooling
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Royal Caribbean’s strong EBITDA trajectory highlights solid cruise demand but also raises competitive and margin-comparison considerations for Carnival. RCL's EBITDA Nears $8B Target: How Strong Is the Profitability Story?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: a Zacks note flagged Carnival’s share decline (the stock fell more than the broader market), reflecting the immediate selling pressure and raising short-term technical/flow risk. Carnival (CCL) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/commodity risk: reports link the share drop to heightened Middle East tensions that lifted oil prices — a direct cost headwind for cruise operators (fuel is a sizable operating input). Carnival (CCL) Stock Slides As Middle East Tensions Lift Oil
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: Stifel trimmed its price target (while keeping a Buy) and Goldman lowered its target to $30 (still a Buy) — both actions signal rising near-term headwinds (fuel costs, sentiment) and reduce upside expectations. Wall Street Still Likes Carnival $CCL But Still Drops Price Target Goldman Lowers Price Target on Carnival
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks moved Carnival from “strong-buy” to “hold,” increasing perceived near-term risk and likely contributing to selling pressure among momentum-driven holders. Zacks Research

Carnival Price Performance

NYSE:CCL opened at $23.89 on Friday. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $15.07 and a one year high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $29.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.95, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 2.42. The firm's fifty day moving average is $30.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.38.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The company's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. Research analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

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

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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