Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd Makes New $17.06 Million Investment in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 590,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,060,000. Carnival makes up about 2.3% of Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd owned 0.05% of Carnival at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the third quarter worth approximately $1,291,000. National Pension Service raised its stake in Carnival by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,795,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,820,000 after purchasing an additional 272,452 shares during the last quarter. Mane Global Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Carnival in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,952,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in Carnival during the 3rd quarter worth $1,422,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Carnival by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 207,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,999,000 after purchasing an additional 46,828 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seabourn (Carnival’s luxury brand) unveiled a new high‑end “Denali Experience” pre‑cruise program for Alaska in 2027–28 — a small but constructive product expansion that supports higher‑margin, premium offerings. Seabourn Denali Experience
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation piece reviews CCL after recent share cooling, noting mixed momentum (short‑term weakness but positive 1‑year performance) — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Assessing Carnival Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Industry news: Royal Caribbean plunged after an oil spike tied to Iran tanker strikes; reports note Carnival also fell and may be more exposed if it lacks fuel hedges — rising bunker costs threaten margins and drive near‑term downside. RCL Oil Spike / Impact on Carnival
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage: Benzinga and Zacks reported CCL sliding as Middle East tensions lifted oil and investors sold into the risk — these stories reflect momentum selling and sentiment shifts that can exacerbate price moves. Benzinga: Stock Slides as Oil Rises Zacks: CCL Declines
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: The Goldman Sachs Group issued a pessimistic forecast for CCL and Stifel lowered its price target to $35 — analyst downgrades/target cuts increase selling pressure and can influence institutional flows. Goldman Sachs Forecast Stifel Lowers Price Target

Carnival Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of CCL opened at $23.97 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Carnival Corporation has a 12-month low of $15.07 and a 12-month high of $34.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.42.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Carnival’s payout ratio is presently 30.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CCL. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.70.

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.