Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Announces FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Carnival raised or reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance at $2.24, slightly above the $2.22 analyst consensus, while setting Q4 2026 EPS guidance at $0.20.
• The company’s latest quarter beat expectations, with EPS of $1.43 versus $1.35 expected and revenue of $8.44 billion versus $8.39 billion. Carnival also reported record bookings and strong revenue, net yields and net income.
• Shares were reported up 11.8%, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $34.45. Carnival also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, although high debt and rising fuel costs remain key risks.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.240-2.240 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.220. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Carnival also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 0.200-0.200 EPS.

Carnival Trading Up 11.8%

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $24.75 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $25.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.32. The company has a market cap of $33.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 2.31. Carnival has a 52-week low of $21.45 and a 52-week high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The company had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.39 billion. Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Carnival will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Carnival's payout ratio is currently 27.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CCL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $32.00 target price on Carnival in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Carnival in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Carnival from $38.00 to $36.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.45.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival reported that third-quarter 2026 results outperformed guidance, with its best-ever revenue, net yields and net income. Record bookings also provide a strong foundation for 2027, reinforcing the company’s demand recovery and pricing momentum. Carnival third-quarter 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: The results offer a favorable contrast with the recent share-price weakness and may ease concerns that Carnival’s recovery is losing momentum. Strong bookings are particularly important because they support future occupancy, pricing and onboard revenue.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors had been focused on whether management would discuss dividends, Holland America and fleet upgrades during the earnings update. These topics could influence the next phase of Carnival’s capital-allocation and growth strategy. Carnival earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Princess Cruises, a Carnival brand, launched an AI-powered cruise-planning app within ChatGPT. The initiative could improve customer discovery and bookings, but its near-term financial effect on CCL is uncertain. Princess Cruises AI app launch
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel prices remain a major concern because they can raise voyage costs and compress margins. Bank of America cut its Carnival price target as this cost pressure intensified, contributing to investor caution despite the company’s operational gains. Bank of America cuts Carnival price target
• Negative Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage also highlighted Carnival’s substantial debt burden and shares trading near a 52-week low. Those balance-sheet and valuation concerns may limit the market’s reaction unless management provides reassuring guidance on costs, cash flow and debt reduction.

Carnival Company Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc NYSE: CCL is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its brands offer ocean cruises, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodation, excursions and other travel experiences to passengers across a range of price points and destinations.

The company's portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.