Carnival Corporation $CCL Shares Acquired by National Pension Service

Posted by Brian Himes on Sep 11th, 2026

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL – Free Report) by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,228,771 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 258,460 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.24% of Carnival worth $92,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Carnival during the first quarter worth about $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Carnival by 61.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in Carnival by 41.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Carnival by 57.0% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

Positive Sentiment: Demand indicators remain encouraging: Strong guest demand prompted Holland America Line to complete the Oosterdam’s Evolution renovation five weeks early, adding cruises aboard the reimagined ship. Reservations also opened for the new Carnival Tropicale, scheduled to sail from Galveston in 2028. Holland America renovation article Carnival Tropicale reservations article
Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and bookings provide a counterweight: Citi maintained its Buy rating, while strong 2027 bookings and expected cost savings were cited as reasons for a constructive long-term outlook despite recent weakness. Citi Carnival rating article Zacks Carnival outlook article
Neutral Sentiment: Options activity signals uncertainty rather than a clear direction: A reported $2.2 million long straddle on Carnival suggests an institutional investor is positioning for a sizable move in either direction, likely reflecting elevated volatility. Carnival unusual options activity article
Negative Sentiment: Crude oil is the main near-term pressure: Surging global oil prices are undermining expectations for fuel-cost relief and could compress Carnival’s margins. The broader cruise group, including Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, has also faced selling pressure from the same concern. Benzinga Carnival stock article
Negative Sentiment: Interest rates and demand concerns are weighing on sentiment: Elevated rate expectations increase financing pressure for a highly leveraged company, while concerns about European demand add to the market’s caution. The stock has declined roughly 20% over the past month, leaving investors focused on whether the pullback reflects a buying opportunity or worsening fundamentals. Carnival monthly decline article

Carnival Stock Down 1.2%

CCL stock opened at $22.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $26.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.91. Carnival Corporation has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $34.03. The company has a market cap of $30.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 2.31.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL – Get Free Report) last issued 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. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CCL shares. Loop Capital started coverage on Carnival in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research raised Carnival from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Carnival from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Carnival currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.08.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Carnival

Carnival Profile

(Free Report)

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.