National Pension Service Grows Stock Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Key Points

• National Pension Service raised its Carnival stake by 10.8% in Q3 to 2,795,560 shares (about 0.24% of the company), worth roughly $80.82 million.
• Carnival beat Q3 EPS estimates ($0.34 vs. $0.25) and set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.17 and FY2026 guidance of $2.48, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.15 (annualized $0.60, ~2.0% yield).
• Analysts are broadly constructive with a MarketBeat average target of $35 and a "Moderate Buy" consensus; the stock trades near its 52‑week high with a market cap around $35 billion and a P/E of ~15.

National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,795,560 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 272,452 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.24% of Carnival worth $80,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 312,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,780,000 after acquiring an additional 28,000 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Carnival in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,880,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Carnival by 30.9% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 100,983 shares of the company's stock worth $2,840,000 after purchasing an additional 23,866 shares during the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Carnival during the second quarter worth approximately $734,000. Finally, Aviva PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 1,921.4% in the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 785,724 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,095,000 after purchasing an additional 746,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company's stock.

Carnival Stock Down 3.7%

NYSE CCL opened at $29.99 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Carnival Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $15.07 and a fifty-two week high of $32.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $28.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.20. The stock has a market cap of $35.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 2.49.

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

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCL has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 target price on Carnival in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Carnival from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.00.

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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