First Trust Advisors LP Decreases Stock Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 9.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 632,541 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,131 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Carnival were worth $16,370,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival in the first quarter valued at about $276,000. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new position in shares of Carnival during the 1st quarter worth approximately $398,000. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments acquired a new position in shares of Carnival during the 1st quarter worth approximately $371,000. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Carnival in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Carnival

In related news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,209,929.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,945,587.80. This represents a 38.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Argus set a $35.00 target price on Carnival in a report on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Carnival from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Freedom Capital raised Carnival to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.08.

Carnival Stock Down 1.6%

CCL stock opened at $27.78 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 2.32. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $23.45 and a one year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.03%.

Carnival 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.