Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Stock Price

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

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Carnival from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.09.

Carnival Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:CCL opened at $27.11 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $30.83 and its 200-day moving average is $29.53. The company has a market cap of $33.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 2.42. Carnival has a 52-week low of $15.07 and a 52-week high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $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. Equities research analysts predict that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 368,445 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,074,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,468,185,000 after buying an additional 704,433 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in Carnival by 0.8% in 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 buying an additional 291,864 shares in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in Carnival by 9.6% in the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,927 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Carnival by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,104,000 after acquiring an additional 683,311 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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 upgraded CCL to “Overweight” and raised its price target to $40, implying significant upside vs. current levels. Wells Fargo Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and income-focused writeups (Seeking Alpha) highlight Carnival as a dividend-yielding buy after Carnival reinstated a $0.15 quarterly dividend and reported stronger margins and record revenue in Q4 2025 — supportive for longer-term investor confidence. Carnival: A Low-Risk, Dividend-Yielding ‘Buy’
• Neutral Sentiment: Carnival is pushing improved marketing efficiency (kept ad spend near ~3.5% of revenue and boosting digital ROI), which could sustain near-term bookings but may take time to materially move results. Marketing Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitor promotions (e.g., Seabourn’s suite-upgrade event) increase promotional activity across the luxury/equivalent segments; this may pressure near-term yields but is not specific to Carnival’s core mass-market pricing. Seabourn Promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces frame the current pullback as a buying opportunity for patient investors, noting attractive longer-term returns if demand remains resilient. Cautiously Optimistic
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil prices amid geopolitical tensions are an industry-wide headwind; higher fuel costs hurt cruise operator margins and are cited as a key reason for investor caution across the sector. Oil Price Shock Hits Cruises
• Negative Sentiment: Market-commentary and note pieces highlight CCL’s steeper-than-market pullback and elevated intraday volume, signaling short-term selling pressure and investor profit-taking after a strong 1?year run. Carnival Falls More Steeply
• Negative Sentiment: News outlets are flagging shares trading lower today and noting the recent 1-week/30-day pullbacks — amplifying near-term negative sentiment among traders. Why Shares Trading Lower

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.