Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) saw a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 42,858,060 shares, a drop of 25.4% from the November 30th total of 57,414,477 shares. Approximately 4.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 17,652,362 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 17,652,362 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 4.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in Carnival during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new position in Carnival during the second quarter worth $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carnival in the third quarter valued at $30,000. 67.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on CCL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Carnival from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Truist Financial set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Carnival currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.45.

Carnival Stock Up 0.3%

Carnival stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,262,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,617,928. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. Carnival has a 12 month low of $15.07 and a 12 month high of $32.89. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.73. The company has a market capitalization of $35.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 2.53.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS 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 net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%.

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.