Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at TD Cowen

TD Cowen upgraded shares of Carnival (NYSE:CCL) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Carnival from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Carnival from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Carnival has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.08.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $22.44 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $26.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.91. Carnival has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $34.03. The stock has a market cap of $30.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 2.31.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Carnival will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s payout ratio is presently 27.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in Carnival by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,074,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,468,185,000 after acquiring an additional 704,433 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Carnival by 3,198.1% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 42,423,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,212,053,000 after purchasing an additional 41,137,642 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 26,729,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $816,320,000 after purchasing an additional 364,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Carnival by 2,954.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 19,851,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,625,000 after purchasing an additional 19,201,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain encouraging: Strong guest demand prompted Holland America Line to complete the Oosterdam’s Evolution renovation five weeks early, adding cruises aboard the reimagined ship. Reservations also opened for the new Carnival Tropicale, scheduled to sail from Galveston in 2028. Holland America renovation article Carnival Tropicale reservations article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and bookings provide a counterweight: Citi maintained its Buy rating, while strong 2027 bookings and expected cost savings were cited as reasons for a constructive long-term outlook despite recent weakness. Citi Carnival rating article Zacks Carnival outlook article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity signals uncertainty rather than a clear direction: A reported $2.2 million long straddle on Carnival suggests an institutional investor is positioning for a sizable move in either direction, likely reflecting elevated volatility. Carnival unusual options activity article
• Negative Sentiment: Crude oil is the main near-term pressure: Surging global oil prices are undermining expectations for fuel-cost relief and could compress Carnival’s margins. The broader cruise group, including Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, has also faced selling pressure from the same concern. Benzinga Carnival stock article
• Negative Sentiment: Interest rates and demand concerns are weighing on sentiment: Elevated rate expectations increase financing pressure for a highly leveraged company, while concerns about European demand add to the market’s caution. The stock has declined roughly 20% over the past month, leaving investors focused on whether the pullback reflects a buying opportunity or worsening fundamentals. Carnival monthly decline article

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its cruise brands serve travelers in North America, Europe, Australia, and other international markets, offering ocean voyages to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia, and other regions.

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