Stevens Capital Management LP Takes Position in Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Carnival Co. & plc (NYSE:CCL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 19,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $364,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Carnival Co. & by 117.5% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,498,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890,081 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Carnival Co. & by 1,589.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,789,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,750,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683,434 shares during the last quarter. Blackstone Inc. grew its stake in Carnival Co. & by 50.8% in the third quarter. Blackstone Inc. now owns 3,000,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,000 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Carnival Co. & by 1,241.9% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 847,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,803,000 after buying an additional 784,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Carnival Co. & by 126.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 740,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,782,000 after purchasing an additional 413,082 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO David Bernstein sold 153,995 shares of Carnival Co. & stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.37, for a total value of $2,366,903.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 181,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,797,047.97. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 11.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Carnival Co. & Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:CCL traded down $0.09 on Friday, reaching $15.09. 20,446,324 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,717,680. The company’s 50 day moving average is $15.57 and its 200-day moving average is $15.44. Carnival Co. & plc has a 1-year low of $8.72 and a 1-year high of $19.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.00 and a beta of 2.54.

Carnival Co. & (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.04. Carnival Co. & had a net margin of 1.79% and a return on equity of 7.75%. The company had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.55) EPS. Carnival Co. &’s quarterly revenue was up 22.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Carnival Co. & plc will post 1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CCL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Carnival Co. & in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Carnival Co. & from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Argus decreased their price target on Carnival Co. & from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Carnival Co. & from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $22.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Carnival Co. & in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $21.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.47.

Carnival Co. & Company Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc engages in the provision of leisure travel services in North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: NAA Cruise Operations, Europe Cruise Operations, Cruise Support, and Tour and Other. It operates port destinations, private islands, and a solar park, as well as owns and operates hotels, lodges, glass-domed railcars, and motor coaches.