Freedom Broker Issues Positive Forecast for Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Stock Price

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) had its price objective increased by Freedom Broker from $35.00 to $36.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Freedom Broker’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 43.80% from the stock’s previous close.

CCL has been the subject of several other research reports. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Carnival from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Carnival from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Carnival currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.14.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $25.04. 16,789,505 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 24,193,014. Carnival has a 52 week low of $21.45 and a 52 week high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $34.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.94, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 2.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $25.24 and its 200-day moving average is $26.32.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.39 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.37% and a return on equity of 24.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Carnival will post 2.24 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Carnival by 36.8% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 572,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,363,000 after purchasing an additional 154,101 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Carnival by 261.2% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 91,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,612,000 after acquiring an additional 66,100 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 330.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,827,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,345,000 after buying an additional 2,938,650 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 69,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,990,000 after acquiring an additional 14,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 37.1% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 130,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,733,000 after buying an additional 35,373 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record results and raised outlook: Carnival reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.43 and revenue of $8.44 billion, exceeding analyst expectations. Record net income, revenue and net yields prompted the company to raise its fiscal 2026 EPS outlook to $2.24 and improve its adjusted profit forecast. Carnival Corporation earnings release
• Positive Sentiment: Exceptional forward demand: Approximately half of Carnival’s 2027 inventory is already booked at record occupancy and prices, while customer deposits reached about $7.6 billion. Management also plans disciplined capacity growth, supporting pricing and revenue visibility. Carnival booking demand report
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: Barclays reaffirmed its Buy rating, while Argus and Wells Fargo maintained bullish ratings despite lowering their price targets to $30 and $34, respectively. The revised targets still imply meaningful upside from recent trading levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity reflects optimism: Traders bought a high volume of Carnival call options, suggesting increased speculative interest following the earnings beat. Carnival call options report
• Neutral Sentiment: Holland America Line, Carnival’s subsidiary, opened bookings for its 2028 Canada and New England season, offering expanded Montréal itineraries. The announcement supports long-term brand demand but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Holland America 2028 season announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel costs rose sharply, and Carnival warned of near-term seasonal and fuel-related headwinds. Several analysts lowered price targets, while BMO Capital assigned a Hold rating, limiting some of the bullish reaction.

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.