Handelsbanken Fonder AB Decreases Holdings in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 28.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 549,672 shares of the company’s stock after selling 220,007 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Carnival were worth $16,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Carnival in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carnival in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 381.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 182.0% in the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 659 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carnival in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock opened at $26.05 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.04. The company has a market capitalization of $32.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 2.33. Carnival Corporation has a 1 year low of $21.62 and a 1 year high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.30.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 26.92%. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Carnival’s payout ratio is 26.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CCL shares. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Carnival from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. HSBC raised shares of Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.18.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cruise stocks are rallying broadly, with Carnival outperforming peers as investors buy back into the sector after recent weakness; articles cited strong trading in CCL alongside gains in Norwegian Cruise Line and a comparatively smaller move in Royal Caribbean.
• Positive Sentiment: Lower oil prices are a key tailwind, since fuel is one of Carnival’s biggest operating costs. Falling energy prices can improve margin expectations and boost sentiment toward cruise operators.
• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s brands continue to support demand headlines, including Holland America Line opening bookings for its 2028 Grand Voyages and Seabourn launching a regionally inspired culinary program for its Alaska season, both of which reinforce the company’s ability to market premium experiences and fill future itineraries.
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted growing Russell 1000 optimism around Carnival, which may reflect improving index/market attention rather than a direct operational catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary also pointed out that Carnival and other travel names have been volatile, with risk-off trading, geopolitical uncertainty, and fuel-cost sensitivity still weighing on sentiment when markets turn lower.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total value of $313,965.72. Following the sale, the director directly owned 52,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,620.19. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $314,265. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Carnival

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.