National Pension Service Grows Stock Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 8.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,228,771 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 258,460 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Carnival were worth $92,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival in the second quarter valued at about $304,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 73,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,088,000 after purchasing an additional 4,072 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Carnival by 34.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 45,826 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 11,794 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Carnival by 228.1% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 39,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after buying an additional 27,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Carnival by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 44,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after buying an additional 3,424 shares in 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. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Loop Capital began coverage on Carnival in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Carnival presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.08.

Carnival Stock Down 1.2%

CCL stock opened at $22.44 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.11, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 2.31. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.The company had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.03%.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain encouraging: Strong guest demand prompted Holland America Line to complete the Oosterdam’s Evolution renovation five weeks early, adding cruises aboard the reimagined ship. Reservations also opened for the new Carnival Tropicale, scheduled to sail from Galveston in 2028. Holland America renovation article Carnival Tropicale reservations article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and bookings provide a counterweight: Citi maintained its Buy rating, while strong 2027 bookings and expected cost savings were cited as reasons for a constructive long-term outlook despite recent weakness. Citi Carnival rating article Zacks Carnival outlook article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity signals uncertainty rather than a clear direction: A reported $2.2 million long straddle on Carnival suggests an institutional investor is positioning for a sizable move in either direction, likely reflecting elevated volatility. Carnival unusual options activity article
• Negative Sentiment: Crude oil is the main near-term pressure: Surging global oil prices are undermining expectations for fuel-cost relief and could compress Carnival’s margins. The broader cruise group, including Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, has also faced selling pressure from the same concern. Benzinga Carnival stock article
• Negative Sentiment: Interest rates and demand concerns are weighing on sentiment: Elevated rate expectations increase financing pressure for a highly leveraged company, while concerns about European demand add to the market’s caution. The stock has declined roughly 20% over the past month, leaving investors focused on whether the pullback reflects a buying opportunity or worsening fundamentals. Carnival monthly decline article

Carnival Company Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its cruise brands serve travelers in North America, Europe, Australia, and other international markets, offering ocean voyages to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia, and other regions.

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