Natixis Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 5.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 683,608 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,075 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Carnival were worth $19,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Carnival by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 127,764,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,693,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101,344 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Carnival by 3.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,523,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,280,132,000 after buying an additional 1,531,495 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Carnival by 7.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,617,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $773,398,000 after buying an additional 1,906,110 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Carnival by 50.7% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,510,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $419,573,000 after buying an additional 4,883,024 shares during the period. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in Carnival by 6.4% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 13,207,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,388,000 after buying an additional 798,450 shares in the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carnival Trading Down 0.9%

CCL stock opened at $25.97 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 2.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $15.07 and a one year high of $34.03. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $30.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.42.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong industry demand — Royal Caribbean’s (RCL) adjusted EBITDA topped $7B in 2025 and is projected toward $8B in 2026, signaling robust cruise demand and pricing power across the sector, which supports Carnival’s revenue and pricing outlook. RCL EBITDA Nears $8B Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts still see upside — Stifel and Goldman Sachs both kept Buy ratings even after trimming targets, suggesting analysts expect demand and earnings recovery to persist despite near‑term headwinds. (Stifel cut target to $35 from $40; Goldman cut to $30 from $34.) Wall Street Still Likes Carnival
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated sector/company news — Items like Target Hospitality’s results and a dividend‑stock roundup are not material to Carnival’s fundamentals but add to market noise today. Target Hospitality Q4
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/itinerary announcements (e.g., Princess Cruises’ 2028 world cruise) are demand signals but unlikely to move CCL stock materially by themselves. Princess Cruises World Cruise
• Negative Sentiment: Oil shock & fuel exposure — Coverage highlights that Carnival does not hedge fuel as much as some peers, making it more exposed to the recent Middle East‑driven oil spike; analysts and investors see this as an immediate margin risk. Carnival Down After Oil Shock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure — Zacks downgraded CCL from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” and price‑target cuts from Stifel and Goldman reduce near‑term upside expectations and can pressure sentiment. Zacks Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Sector‑level fear — Multiple news pieces describe cruise stocks falling amid geopolitical-driven volatility and cost pressures, which amplifies sector‑wide selling and raises short‑term downside risk for CCL. MarketWatch Cruise Sector Piece

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on CCL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Carnival from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.70.

Carnival Company Profile

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.