Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Price Target Cut to $31.00 by Analysts at BNP Paribas Exane

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at BNP Paribas Exane from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane’s target price suggests a potential upside of 23.45% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Melius Research set a $36.00 price objective on Carnival in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Carnival to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Argus set a $35.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Carnival currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.36.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CCL opened at $25.11 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.31, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 2.31. Carnival has a one year low of $21.45 and a one year high of $34.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.32. 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 (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The company had revenue of $8.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.39 billion. Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Carnival will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Carnival during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Carnival during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Carnival by 107.8% during the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Carnival in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 beat expectations: Carnival reported $8.44 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $1.43, ahead of Wall Street estimates of approximately $8.39 billion and $1.35–$1.36, respectively. Net income reached a record $1.92 billion. Carnival Logs Higher Profit, Revenue on Accelerating Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance increased: Carnival raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to about $2.24 and lifted its adjusted net-income outlook by more than $150 million, reflecting stronger operating performance and demand. Carnival Corporation Outperforms Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Bookings remain robust: Record customer deposits of $7.6 billion and record 2027 booked occupancy and pricing suggest resilient vacation demand. Management said booking volumes are meaningfully ahead of last year and growing faster than capacity. Carnival Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: William Blair reiterated a Buy rating, while the average analyst target cited in recent coverage is $34.45, well above the stock’s recent trading level. Carnival Average Target Price
• Neutral Sentiment: Carnival reduced debt below $24 billion and has continued share repurchases, but leverage remains material, with debt-to-equity of approximately 1.8.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $0.20 is below the roughly $0.25 consensus estimate. Higher fuel costs also reduced gross-margin yields year over year, leaving execution and balance-sheet risks in focus.

Carnival Company Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL) is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its brands offer ocean cruises, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodation, excursions and other travel experiences to passengers across a range of price points and destinations.

The company’s portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises.