William Blair Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for Carnival

Key Points

• William Blair raised its Q3 2025 earnings per share estimate for Carnival Corporation to $1.32, indicating a slight increase from the previous estimate of $1.31.
• Analysts from Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase upgraded their target prices for Carnival shares, with estimates reaching as high as $39.00, while the average target price is $31.63.
• Carnival's stock recently reported a 2.8% drop, opening at $30.56, with a recent quarterly earnings report showing a net margin of 9.72% and a revenue increase of 9.5% year-over-year.

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL - Free Report) - Stock analysts at William Blair lifted their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Carnival in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, September 17th. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $1.32 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.31. The consensus estimate for Carnival's current full-year earnings is $1.77 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Carnival's FY2026 earnings at $2.38 EPS.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 24th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.20 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 9.72%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. Carnival has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.970-1.970 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.300-1.300 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on CCL. Melius Research lifted their price objective on Carnival from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Carnival from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Carnival from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Carnival from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.63.

Carnival Price Performance

NYSE CCL traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $30.74. The company had a trading volume of 17,058,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,631,050. The company has a market capitalization of $35.88 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 2.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.87. Carnival has a twelve month low of $15.07 and a twelve month high of $32.80.

Insider Transactions at Carnival

In other Carnival news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 12,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.75, for a total value of $371,875.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Carnival by 31.0% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 122,160 shares of the company's stock worth $2,427,000 after purchasing an additional 28,890 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Carnival by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 183,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,399,000 after buying an additional 10,739 shares during the last quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP grew its position in shares of Carnival by 42.5% in the 1st quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP now owns 65,754 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,284,000 after buying an additional 19,601 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 1st quarter valued at about $196,000. Finally, Shellback Capital LP grew its position in shares of Carnival by 135.3% in the 1st quarter. Shellback Capital LP now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,530,000 after buying an additional 575,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% 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.