Carnival Corporation $CCL Stock Holdings Decreased by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 46.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,164 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,696 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Carnival were worth $936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Carnival by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 519,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,879,000 after buying an additional 47,070 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 128,133,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,913,190,000 after acquiring an additional 368,445 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,252,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,632,000 after acquiring an additional 109,474 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 95.9% during the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 889,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,017,000 after acquiring an additional 435,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 654,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,002,000 after acquiring an additional 59,383 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Stock Up 0.3%

CCL opened at $27.85 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.75 and a 200-day moving average of $27.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 2.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. Carnival Corporation has a 1-year low of $23.45 and a 1-year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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 anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total value of $1,209,929.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,945,587.80. This represents a 38.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on CCL. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Susquehanna increased their price target on Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Argus set a $35.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.08.

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.