Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 11,922 Shares of Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 120,147 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,922 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Carnival Co. & were worth $2,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Carnival Co. & by 275.8% in the 4th quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Carnival Co. & in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Carnival Co. & in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Carnival Co. & in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Ossiam bought a new position in Carnival Co. & in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CCL. HSBC upgraded shares of Carnival Co. & from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $24.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Carnival Co. & in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Northcoast Research began coverage on shares of Carnival Co. & in a research note on Friday, April 25th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Macquarie lowered their target price on shares of Carnival Co. & from $31.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Carnival Co. & from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.68.

Carnival Co. & Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CCL opened at $23.42 on Friday. Carnival Co. & plc has a twelve month low of $13.78 and a twelve month high of $28.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $19.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

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

About Carnival Co. &

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.