200,400 Carnival Corporation $CCL Shares Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al cut its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 52.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 180,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200,400 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Carnival were worth $4,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival during the first quarter worth $1,732,000. National Pension Service grew its position in Carnival by 8.7% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,228,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,246,000 after acquiring an additional 258,460 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival during the 2nd quarter worth about $15,383,000. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 557,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,429,000 after acquiring an additional 37,607 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Carnival by 75.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 191,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,474,000 after purchasing an additional 82,328 shares in the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CCL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Carnival from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Barclays cut their price target on Carnival from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.14.

Carnival Stock Performance

CCL opened at $28.83 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.12. The firm has a market cap of $38.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.48. Carnival Corporation has a 52 week low of $21.45 and a 52 week high of $34.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.08. Carnival had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 24.83%. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.39 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. Carnival’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.20%.

Insider Activity at Carnival

In other news, Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.75, for a total transaction of $693,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 63,505 shares in the company, valued at $1,762,263.75. This represents a 28.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 7.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reinforces shareholder-return story: Carnival’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share. The announcement has renewed investor interest, particularly because shares have rallied 26.7% over the past month while still showing a year-to-date decline, suggesting potential recovery room. Carnival Could Be 25% Undervalued Following Its Fresh Dividend Declaration
• Positive Sentiment: Positive read-through from cruise peers: Norwegian Cruise Line’s stronger-than-expected results and improved full-year outlook lifted the broader cruise group, while Royal Caribbean also advanced. The results suggest resilient travel demand and improving operating trends across the industry, benefiting Carnival by association. Norwegian Surges as Earnings Beat Lifts Full-Year Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet investment supports guest experience: Princess Cruises, Carnival’s brand, completed a two-week drydock renovation of Royal Princess, adding a Sanctuary Collection and upgrading dining, entertainment, casino and retail areas. These enhancements could support pricing, customer satisfaction and onboard revenue over time. Royal Princess Emerges from Drydock with New Sanctuary Collection
• Neutral Sentiment: Fuel management remains a key swing factor: Carnival’s strategy emphasizes reducing fuel consumption, while competitors rely more heavily on hedging. Lower consumption could protect margins if fuel prices remain elevated, but the issue remains an important source of operating-cost uncertainty. Cruise Companies Aim to Keep Fuel Costs Down
• Negative Sentiment: Director’s stock sale adds a cautionary signal: Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 Carnival shares for approximately $693,750, reducing her direct ownership by 28.25%. While the transaction does not change Carnival’s fundamentals, insider selling can weigh on sentiment, particularly after the recent share-price rebound. Carnival Director Form 4 Filing

Carnival Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL) is one of the world’s largest leisure travel and cruise companies. It operates cruise lines that provide vacation travel, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodations, recreational activities and shore excursions. The company’s brands serve a broad range of travelers, from mainstream and contemporary vacationers to premium and luxury guests.

Carnival’s portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises UK and P&O Cruises Australia.