BNP Paribas Exane Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Stock Price

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price suggests a potential upside of 23.45% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $32.00 target price on Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Carnival from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Carnival presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.36.

Carnival Trading Up 13.4%

CCL opened at $25.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 2.31. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.32. Carnival has a 1-year low of $21.45 and a 1-year high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.29.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.39 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. Analysts expect that Carnival will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Carnival in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Carnival by 107.8% in the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Carnival in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Carnival during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 beat expectations: Carnival reported $8.44 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $1.43, ahead of Wall Street estimates of approximately $8.39 billion and $1.35–$1.36, respectively. Net income reached a record $1.92 billion. Carnival Logs Higher Profit, Revenue on Accelerating Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance increased: Carnival raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to about $2.24 and lifted its adjusted net-income outlook by more than $150 million, reflecting stronger operating performance and demand. Carnival Corporation Outperforms Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Bookings remain robust: Record customer deposits of $7.6 billion and record 2027 booked occupancy and pricing suggest resilient vacation demand. Management said booking volumes are meaningfully ahead of last year and growing faster than capacity. Carnival Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: William Blair reiterated a Buy rating, while the average analyst target cited in recent coverage is $34.45, well above the stock’s recent trading level. Carnival Average Target Price
• Neutral Sentiment: Carnival reduced debt below $24 billion and has continued share repurchases, but leverage remains material, with debt-to-equity of approximately 1.8.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $0.20 is below the roughly $0.25 consensus estimate. Higher fuel costs also reduced gross-margin yields year over year, leaving execution and balance-sheet risks in focus.

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL) is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its brands offer ocean cruises, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodation, excursions and other travel experiences to passengers across a range of price points and destinations.

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