Swedbank AB Purchases 37,607 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Swedbank AB grew its holdings in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 7.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 557,546 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37,607 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Carnival were worth $14,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total value of $1,209,929.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,945,587.80. This trade represents a 38.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Carnival News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, reinforcing management’s confidence in cash generation and giving income-focused investors another reason to own the stock. CARNIVAL CORPORATION DECLARES DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Cruise shares rebounded broadly, with Carnival participating in a sector-wide recovery after recent losses; that momentum is helping lift CCL today. Norwegian Cruise Line Jumps 8%, Carnival Climbs 5%, Royal Caribbean Rises 3% in Cruise-Stock Rebound
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets upgraded Carnival to Hold, which may have helped improve sentiment even without a bullish outright buy rating. Zacks.com report on BMO upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research made mixed earnings forecast changes for future periods, cutting some near- and medium-term estimates while raising others farther out. The revisions suggest a more cautious near-term outlook, but not a major change to the longer-term recovery thesis.
• Neutral Sentiment: Carnival’s recent earnings update was solid overall, with revenue growth and earnings beating expectations, but management also flagged fuel and currency pressures that keep investors focused on margin risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude oil prices and Middle East tensions have pressured cruise operators because fuel is a major cost for the industry, creating renewed margin concerns for Carnival. Carnival Stock Slides as Crude Surges on Renewed Iran Tensions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst estimate cuts for several upcoming quarters point to softer earnings expectations, which could cap upside if fuel costs stay elevated or demand slows.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CCL has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley raised Carnival from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Carnival from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.99.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of CCL opened at $26.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.40 and a 200 day moving average of $28.41. The company has a market capitalization of $36.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 2.32. Carnival Corporation has a 12 month low of $23.45 and a 12 month high of $34.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.The firm had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is 27.03%.

About Carnival

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.