Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Director Helen Deeble Sells 25,000 Shares of Stock

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.75, for a total transaction of $693,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 63,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,762,263.75. This represents a 28.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $28.83 on Friday. Carnival Corporation has a twelve month low of $21.45 and a twelve month high of $34.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.12. The company has a market capitalization of $38.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.38. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $8.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 24.83%. Carnival’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 26.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the first quarter worth $1,732,000. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Carnival by 8.7% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,228,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,246,000 after purchasing an additional 258,460 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Carnival during the second quarter worth $15,383,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Carnival during the second quarter valued at $10,888,000. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its position in Carnival by 7.2% during the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 557,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,429,000 after purchasing an additional 37,607 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $32.00 target price on Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.14.

Carnival Company 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.