Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Price Target Raised to $40.00

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) had its price target boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $38.00 to $40.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.09.

Carnival Stock Performance

CCL opened at $25.85 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.50. The company has a market capitalization of $32.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 2.42. 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The company’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. Research analysts expect that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Carnival in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Carnival during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Carnival in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in Carnival in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Carnival by 381.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $40 and kept an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 55% upside from recent levels — a clear analyst vote of confidence that can support buy-side interest. Wells Fargo raises PT and rating
• Positive Sentiment: Income/buy thesis picked up traction: Seeking Alpha highlights Carnival as a dividend-yielding, low-volatility buy, citing margin improvements, Celebration Key and a reinstated $0.15 quarterly dividend — these fundamentals can attract income-focused investors. Seeking Alpha: Dividend-buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitor expansion: Royal Caribbean (RCL) is adding Discovery‑class ships, river cruises and private destinations to boost repeat demand — this signals strong industry demand but also intensifies competition for market share. Investors should view this as an industry growth indicator with mixed implications for CCL. RCL adds ships and destinations
• Neutral Sentiment: Luxury promotions: Seabourn launched suite upgrades and shipboard-credit offers to drive bookings in 2026+; niche marketing and promotional activity across luxury operators may pressure yields in specific itineraries but has limited direct impact on Carnival’s mass-market segments. Seabourn promotion
• Negative Sentiment: Oil and geopolitical risk are the main immediate headwinds: multiple pieces link rising WTI crude (near $85) and Strait of Hormuz disruptions from Middle East conflict to pressure cruise margins and route economics — investors are selling on higher fuel-cost risk. Benzinga: Why Carnival shares falling
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction / price action coverage: Several outlets (Zacks, Yahoo Finance) flagged steeper-than-market declines in CCL, reinforcing negative momentum and potentially triggering technical selling. Yahoo/Zacks: CCL falls more steeply
• Negative Sentiment: Options and sentiment on fuel shock: Commentary on RCL options activity and oil-driven volatility highlights elevated hedging/trading around cruise names — a sign of short-term investor unease that typically spills over into CCL. Barchart: Oil shock and options activity

About Carnival

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.