Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Price Target Cut to $39.00 by Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $43.00 to $39.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 80.51% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on CCL. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Carnival in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Carnival from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Carnival from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.45.

Carnival Trading Down 0.9%

CCL traded down $0.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $21.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,455,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,737,607. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $25.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $29.59 billion, a PE ratio of 9.74, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 2.31. Carnival has a twelve month low of $21.50 and a twelve month high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. Carnival’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Carnival will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Carnival by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $896,104,000 after buying an additional 683,311 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC boosted its position in Carnival by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 26,729,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $816,320,000 after purchasing an additional 364,529 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Carnival by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,904,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,372,000 after acquiring an additional 834,885 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 2,432.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,689,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,311,000 after purchasing an additional 6,425,822 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Carnival by 67.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 6,770,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,428,000 after buying an additional 2,723,171 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Value investors may see Carnival as inexpensive: the company generated free cash flow equal to roughly 9.7% of its market value over the past year, while its valuation remains below historical and broader-market levels. Analysts continue to see longer-term upside, with TD Cowen maintaining a Buy rating despite reducing its price target to $32 from $34. Carnival Corp Stock Looks Cheap to Value Investors Ahead of Earnings Next Week TD Cowen Adjusts Price Target on Carnival
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Carnival could beat upcoming earnings estimates, supported by revenue growth, resilient demand and improved profitability. The company previously reported quarterly EPS above consensus, although revenue slightly missed expectations. Carnival Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Princess Cruises, Carnival’s brand, is promoting holiday sailings to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Panama Canal. The seasonal offering could support bookings and onboard revenue during a key travel period. Princess Cruises Invites Guests to Celebrate the Holidays at Sea
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies retained its Buy rating but reduced its 2026 revenue estimate by 1% and cut its 2026 and 2027 EPS forecasts by 3%, reflecting increased fuel expenses and weaker pricing. Carnival Faces Fuel and Pricing Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival lowered its 2026 yield outlook after conflict in the Middle East disrupted European sailings. Management reportedly chose to protect ticket prices rather than fill cabins, indicating that the issue may be regional and strategic rather than a broad collapse in cruise demand. Should You Buy Carnival Stock While Europe Sails Emptier?
• Negative Sentiment: A sharp selloff in Royal Caribbean following its proposed $3 billion Sandals Resorts stake purchase weighed on Carnival and Norwegian as investors reassessed cruise-sector strategy and valuation. This appears to be an industry-wide sentiment effect rather than a Carnival-specific announcement. Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Slide

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its cruise brands serve travelers in North America, Europe, Australia, and other international markets, offering ocean voyages to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia, and other regions.

The company’s brand portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises, and P&O Cruises Australia.