Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Carnival (NYSE:CCL)

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors bought 77,558 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 47% compared to the average volume of 52,862 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CCL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on Carnival from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Carnival from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Truist Financial increased their price target on Carnival from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Carnival has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CCL. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Carnival during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Carnival during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Carnival during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in Carnival during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Carnival by 381.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $32.81 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.31. Carnival has a fifty-two week low of $15.07 and a fifty-two week high of $34.03. The firm has a market cap of $40.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 2.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th.

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.