Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Carnival Call Options (NYSE:CCL)

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 60,845 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 10% compared to the typical daily volume of 55,115 call options.

Carnival Trading Down 9.1%

Shares of CCL opened at $26.09 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 2.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.11. Carnival has a twelve month low of $15.07 and a twelve month high of $32.80.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.11. Carnival had a return on equity of 27.86% and a net margin of 10.07%.The business had revenue of $8.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Carnival has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.230-0.230 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.140-2.140 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CCL shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Carnival from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. TD Cowen started coverage on Carnival in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Carnival from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Carnival in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new position in Carnival in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Carnival by 182.0% in the third quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Carnival in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Carnival in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Carnival

Carnival Corp. engages in the operation of cruise ships. It operates through the following business segments: North America and Australia (NAA) Cruise, Europe and Asia (EA) Cruise Operations, Cruise Support, and Tour and Others. The North America and Australia (NAA) Cruise segment includes the Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.