Forsta AP Fonden Buys 325,600 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 92.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 676,200 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 325,600 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Carnival were worth $20,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new stake in Carnival during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,291,000. National Pension Service grew its position in Carnival by 10.8% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,795,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,820,000 after buying an additional 272,452 shares during the period. Swedbank AB grew its position 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 during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Carnival by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 128,133,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,913,190,000 after buying an additional 368,445 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Carnival by 5.6% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,774,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,867,000 after buying an additional 93,565 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 52,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,620.19. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $314,265. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple recent articles argue Carnival still looks attractive for buyers, citing a cheap valuation and potential upside if cruise demand stays solid. One note highlighted “3 reasons to buy” the stock, while another said there was “no disruption” to the company’s broader travel story. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Lower oil prices are being viewed as a tailwind for Carnival because fuel is one of its biggest operating costs, and recent travel data suggest consumers are still planning vacations. That combination supports margins and could improve earnings expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Holland America, one of Carnival’s brands, announced year-round Europe cruising for 2027-2028. The expansion reinforces long-term demand and capacity planning, but it is not likely to affect near-term results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One market note said Carnival insiders sold about $13 million in shares over the past year, which can make investors cautious, but it is not by itself a clear fundamental change. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival disclosed a cybersecurity incident that exposed names, addresses, and government ID numbers after attackers tricked an employee through a social-engineering attack. That creates reputational risk, possible remediation costs, and potential legal exposure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm has launched an investigation into the breach, raising the chance of class-action claims and additional costs tied to the incident. Article Title

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CCL opened at $28.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 2.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.02. Carnival Corporation has a 1-year low of $22.11 and a 1-year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $6.17 billion during 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%. Carnival’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. Research analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Carnival from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Carnival from $33.00 to $28.70 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.13.

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.