Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Holdings in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 7.2% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,332,810 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 89,959 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Carnival were worth $34,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in Carnival by 2,954.0% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 19,851,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,625,000 after buying an additional 19,201,000 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in Carnival in the fourth quarter valued at about $429,448,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Carnival by 2,432.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,689,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,311,000 after acquiring an additional 6,425,822 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Carnival by 99.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,159,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,535,000 after acquiring an additional 6,066,336 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 1,619.1% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,132,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,740,000 after purchasing an additional 4,833,723 shares during the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC raised Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Mizuho upped their price target on Carnival from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Carnival from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.99.

Carnival Stock Performance

NYSE:CCL opened at $26.39 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $27.42 and its 200 day moving average is $28.23. The firm has a market cap of $36.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 2.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.33. Carnival Corporation has a 52-week low of $23.45 and a 52-week high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.The business had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. Research analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Carnival’s payout ratio is currently 27.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,209,929.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,945,587.80. This represents a 38.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Carnival 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.