Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Carnival from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $29.99 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $35.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 2.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.20. Carnival has a fifty-two week low of $15.07 and a fifty-two week high of $32.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. Carnival’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Carnival in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Carnival in the second quarter worth $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Carnival by 381.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Carnival by 182.0% during the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 659 shares in the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Carnival Company Profile

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.