Carnival Corporation $CCL Shares Purchased by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 616,292 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 131,130 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Carnival were worth $18,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 381.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 182.0% during the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Stock Down 0.7%

Carnival stock opened at $26.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 2.33. Carnival Corporation has a 12 month low of $21.62 and a 12 month high of $34.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 11.48%.The business’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Carnival’s payout ratio is 26.67%.

Insider Activity at Carnival

In other news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total value of $313,965.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 52,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,620.19. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $314,265 in the last three months. 7.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CCL shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Carnival from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Carnival from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $33.00 to $31.00 in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Carnival from $33.00 to $28.70 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Carnival from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.13.

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.