Sowell Financial Services LLC Acquires New Holdings in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 29,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Carnival by 67.2% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 26,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after buying an additional 10,564 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Carnival by 353.7% in the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 6,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 5,415 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 10.1% during the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 79,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,951,000 after purchasing an additional 7,272 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Carnival by 378.4% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Carnival by 28.3% in the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 152,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,730,000 after acquiring an additional 33,493 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Carnival from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus decreased their target price on Carnival from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Susquehanna cut their target price on Carnival from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Carnival from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.14.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reinforces shareholder-return story: Carnival’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share. The announcement has renewed investor interest, particularly because shares have rallied 26.7% over the past month while still showing a year-to-date decline, suggesting potential recovery room. Carnival Could Be 25% Undervalued Following Its Fresh Dividend Declaration
• Positive Sentiment: Positive read-through from cruise peers: Norwegian Cruise Line’s stronger-than-expected results and improved full-year outlook lifted the broader cruise group, while Royal Caribbean also advanced. The results suggest resilient travel demand and improving operating trends across the industry, benefiting Carnival by association. Norwegian Surges as Earnings Beat Lifts Full-Year Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet investment supports guest experience: Princess Cruises, Carnival’s brand, completed a two-week drydock renovation of Royal Princess, adding a Sanctuary Collection and upgrading dining, entertainment, casino and retail areas. These enhancements could support pricing, customer satisfaction and onboard revenue over time. Royal Princess Emerges from Drydock with New Sanctuary Collection
• Neutral Sentiment: Fuel management remains a key swing factor: Carnival’s strategy emphasizes reducing fuel consumption, while competitors rely more heavily on hedging. Lower consumption could protect margins if fuel prices remain elevated, but the issue remains an important source of operating-cost uncertainty. Cruise Companies Aim to Keep Fuel Costs Down
• Negative Sentiment: Director’s stock sale adds a cautionary signal: Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 Carnival shares for approximately $693,750, reducing her direct ownership by 28.25%. While the transaction does not change Carnival’s fundamentals, insider selling can weigh on sentiment, particularly after the recent share-price rebound. Carnival Director Form 4 Filing

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of CCL opened at $28.83 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $38.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Carnival Corporation has a 12 month low of $21.45 and a 12 month high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Carnival had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 24.83%. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Carnival’s payout ratio is 26.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Carnival

In related news, Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.75, for a total value of $693,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 63,505 shares in the company, valued at $1,762,263.75. This trade represents a 28.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL) is one of the world’s largest leisure travel and cruise companies. It operates cruise lines that provide vacation travel, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodations, recreational activities and shore excursions. The company’s brands serve a broad range of travelers, from mainstream and contemporary vacationers to premium and luxury guests.

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