Hound Partners LLC Acquires 198,850 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Hound Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,686,833 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 198,850 shares during the quarter. Carnival accounts for about 13.7% of Hound Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Hound Partners LLC’s holdings in Carnival were worth $106,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 5.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in Carnival during the 1st quarter worth $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Carnival by 61.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Carnival by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after buying an additional 26,141 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 2nd quarter valued at about $580,000. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Carnival Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $23.97 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $30.19 and its 200 day moving average is $29.29. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $15.07 and a one year high of $34.03. The firm has a market cap of $29.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.98, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 research analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group upped their target price on Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.70.

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

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.