River Road Asset Management LLC Grows Stake in Carnival Corporation $CCL

River Road Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 27.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 468,595 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100,665 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Carnival were worth $14,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 0.3% in 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Carnival by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,074,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,468,185,000 after acquiring an additional 704,433 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its position in Carnival by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 36,109,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,929,000 after acquiring an additional 291,864 shares in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Carnival by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $922,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,927 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Carnival by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,104,000 after acquiring an additional 683,311 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CCL shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Carnival to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Carnival from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.94.

Insider Activity at Carnival

In other Carnival news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of Carnival stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 38.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total transaction of $313,965.72. Following the sale, the director directly owned 52,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,620.19. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,058 shares of company stock worth $1,524,195. 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: Analysts remain constructive on Carnival alongside other consumer cyclical names, reinforcing the view that the cruise operator still has room to benefit from resilient leisure spending. Analysts Are Bullish on Top Consumer Cyclical Stocks: Carnival (CCL), AUTO1 Group SE (ATOGF)
• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s Mediterranean expansion plans for Holland America and broader itinerary growth are being viewed as a sign of stronger booking opportunities and a deeper product offering. Carnival Stock Pops on Mediterranean Expansion Plans
• Positive Sentiment: Lower oil prices are helping cruise stocks, and Carnival is benefiting from easing fuel-cost pressure after geopolitical concerns around the Strait of Hormuz cooled. Carnival Stock Rises As Oil Prices Fall After MoU
• Positive Sentiment: Carnival and Starboard’s limited-edition Bulleit Bourbon launch across 14 ships adds an onboard revenue and branding initiative tied to America’s 250th anniversary. Carnival (CCL) Launches Limited Edition Bulleit Bourbon Across 14 Ships
• Neutral Sentiment: Several previews ahead of Carnival’s June 23 Q2 earnings note that expectations are centered on earnings stability and continued onboard spending strength, but investors are waiting for confirmation from results. Carnival Reports Q2 Earnings Next Week. What Investors Should Expect.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary shows investors are favoring strong fundamentals and cyclicals, which is supportive for CCL but not specific to the company. The Unstoppable Stock Market Rally Is Defying Fed Fears

Carnival Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:CCL opened at $30.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $38.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 2.32. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $22.58 and a one year high of $34.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.30.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.02. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 11.48%.The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. Carnival’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Carnival’s payout ratio is 26.67%.

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.