Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.170-0.170 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.180. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Carnival also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.480-2.48 EPS.

Carnival Trading Up 10.0%

CCL traded up $2.82 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.16. 23,714,613 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,793,893. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 2.53. Carnival has a one year low of $15.07 and a one year high of $32.80. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.34.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $8.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.09 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 10.07%.Carnival’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. Carnival has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.230-0.230 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 2.140-2.140 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Carnival from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Argus lowered their price target on Carnival from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Susquehanna raised their price target on Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,369,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,850 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its holdings in Carnival by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 13,207,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $371,388,000 after purchasing an additional 798,450 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Carnival by 1.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 12,336,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,639,000 after purchasing an additional 221,223 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Carnival by 99.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,159,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,535,000 after purchasing an additional 6,066,336 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 19.4% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,173,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,646,000 after purchasing an additional 678,356 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

About Carnival

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.