Sanford C. Bernstein Cuts Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Price Target to $28.70

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) had its price objective cut by Sanford C. Bernstein from $33.00 to $28.70 in a research report report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CCL. HSBC upgraded Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Carnival from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Carnival from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $33.00 to $31.00 in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Carnival from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Carnival currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.17.

Carnival Stock Up 2.8%

CCL stock opened at $26.60 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $32.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 2.48. Carnival has a 12 month low of $15.07 and a 12 month high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.70.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.02. Carnival had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 26.92%. The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Carnival by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 128,133,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,913,190,000 after buying an additional 368,445 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Carnival by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,074,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,468,185,000 after acquiring an additional 704,433 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in Carnival by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 36,109,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,929,000 after acquiring an additional 291,864 shares during the period. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Carnival by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $896,104,000 after purchasing an additional 683,311 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management’s PROPEL strategy targets >50% EPS growth by 2029, driven by strong bookings, pricing and yields — a clear long‑term upside thesis if execution and demand persist. CCL’s PROPEL Strategy Targets 50% EPS Growth: Is the Upside Realistic?
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded CCL to a Buy, giving the stock dealer support that can lift sentiment and attract flows. HSBC Upgrades Carnival Corporation (CCL)
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays initiated/issued a Buy on Carnival, another constructive analyst vote that can support near‑term demand for shares. Carnival (CCL) Gets a Buy from Barclays
• Neutral Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein maintained a more cautious stance (hold rating earlier) and recently adjusted coverage/price views; the firm’s stance moderates upside expectations. Bernstein Keeps Their Hold Rating on Carnival (CCL)
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup issued a pessimistic forecast for CCL’s stock price, adding downward pressure from a major bank’s outlook. Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $37.00, signaling less upside from current levels and contributing to analyst‑driven selling pressure. Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Price Target to $37.00
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein lowered its price target to $28.70, tightening the range of analyst upside and adding to cautious sentiment. Sanford C. Bernstein Lowers Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Price Target to $28.70
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results: revenue roughly met expectations and EPS beat modestly, but management lowered near‑term guidance and warned of significant fuel cost headwinds — the main driver of near‑term downward revisions. CCL Q1 Deep Dive: Lowered Guidance and Fuel Costs Weigh on Cruise Giant’s Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Commentators (TipRanks, MarketBeat) highlighted strong bookings but emphasized fuel and cautious guidance as reasons the stock sold off after earnings. Carnival Corporation Signals Strong Q1, Fuel Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Media/TV commentary (Jim Cramer) favored Viking over Carnival, a sentiment cue that can influence retail flows away from CCL. Jim Cramer Recommends Viking Holdings Over Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean

Carnival Company 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.