Carnival (NYSE:CUK) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CUK)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $32.66 and last traded at $32.5860, with a volume of 532090 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $32.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Carnival to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Carnival Stock Down 0.4%

The stock has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05 and a beta of 2.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $28.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Carnival (NYSE:CUK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Carnival by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Carnival during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,192,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Carnival by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 35,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,081,000 after purchasing an additional 9,866 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Carnival by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 376.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 953 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. 23.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Carnival Company Profile

Carnival plc (NYSE: CUK) is one of the world’s leading cruise operators, offering leisure travel services to millions of passengers each year. Through its portfolio of brands, the company provides passenger cruises that combine accommodations, entertainment, dining, shore excursions and onboard amenities. Carnival’s vessels range from contemporary “fun ships” to premium and luxury experiences, catering to a broad spectrum of travelers from families and couples to solo adventurers.

Founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company has grown through organic fleet expansion and strategic acquisitions.