VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases Shares of 381,100 Carnival Corporation $CCL

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 381,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,888,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Carnival by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Carnival in the first quarter worth approximately $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 61.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Carnival by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Carnival by 57.0% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $23.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $31.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 2.31. 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 50 day moving average price of $26.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.04. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $23.08 and a one year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.Carnival’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings raised Carnival from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Melius Research set a $36.00 price objective on Carnival in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.