Zacks Research Comments on Carnival’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:CCL)

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) – Research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Carnival in a research report issued on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.26 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.24. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Carnival’s current full-year earnings is $1.77 per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Carnival from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Carnival Stock Performance

CCL opened at $33.08 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 2.49. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $30.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.36. Carnival has a 1 year low of $15.07 and a 1 year high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. Carnival’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 368,445 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,369,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,459,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845,850 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 36,109,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,929,000 after purchasing an additional 291,864 shares in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Carnival by 9.6% during the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,576,000 after buying an additional 2,783,927 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Carnival by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,104,000 after buying an additional 683,311 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

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.