Brokerages Set Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL) Price Target at $26.89

Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.89.

CCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Carnival Co. & from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Carnival Co. & from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Carnival Co. & from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Barclays upped their price target on Carnival Co. & from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Carnival Co. & from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Carnival Co. & Stock Performance

Shares of CCL opened at $19.85 on Monday. Carnival Co. & has a 12-month low of $13.78 and a 12-month high of $28.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.79 and its 200-day moving average is $23.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Carnival Co. & (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 21st. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $5.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.74 billion. Carnival Co. & had a return on equity of 24.13% and a net margin of 7.66%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.14) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Carnival Co. & will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival Co. &

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Carnival Co. & by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 175,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,384,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in Carnival Co. & by 153.4% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 336,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,386,000 after buying an additional 203,710 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Carnival Co. & by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 86,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,164,000 after acquiring an additional 18,269 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Carnival Co. & by 54.4% during the 4th quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 40,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 14,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Carnival Co. & by 181.7% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 123,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,288,000 after acquiring an additional 79,857 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Carnival Co. & Company Profile

Carnival Corp. engages in the operation of cruise ships. It operates through the following business segments: North America and Australia (NAA) Cruise, Europe and Asia (EA) Cruise Operations, Cruise Support, and Tour and Others. The North America and Australia (NAA) Cruise segment includes the Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.