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Carnival (CCL) Exceeds Market Returns: Some Facts to Consider

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Carnival (CCL - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $22.31, moving +2.15% from the previous trading session. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.49%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.71%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 2.26%.

The cruise operator's stock has dropped by 15.12% in the past month, falling short of the Consumer Discretionary sector's loss of 7% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.1%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Carnival in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on September 29, 2026. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.36, down 4.9% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $8.38 billion, up 2.79% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $2.21 per share and revenue of $27.64 billion, which would represent changes of -1.78% and +3.84%, respectively, from the prior year.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Carnival. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.73% lower. Carnival is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Looking at valuation, Carnival is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 9.88. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 14.66, so one might conclude that Carnival is trading at a discount comparatively.

Also, we should mention that CCL has a PEG ratio of 0.95. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The Leisure and Recreation Services industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.11 as of yesterday's close.

The Leisure and Recreation Services industry is part of the Consumer Discretionary sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 198, which puts it in the bottom 20% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.

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