CCL
Carnival Corporation
$28.48
▼ 1.1%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
CCL at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Neutral · 54/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 30.7% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$38.23B
P/E
12.46x
Forward P/E (est.)
8.9x
ROE
26.2%
Revenue Growth
6.1%
EPS Growth
50.5%
Profit Margin
11.5%
FCF Yield
1.8%
Debt / Equity
2.17x
ROIC
9.0%
Interest Coverage
2.17x
Current Ratio
0.33x
Dividend Yield
2.0%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
2.0%
Rating Score
54/100
Carnival Corporation (CCL) is a large-cap company in the Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $38.23B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $26.62B in revenue and $2.76B in net profit.
Our model rates CCL Neutral (54/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (9 years of history).
The numbers don't show a durable competitive advantage — margins, growth, or returns on capital have been unstable or thin. Great returns are still possible; they just aren't protected.
13.4% average over the last 3 years
±125.0 pts around -52.9% across 9 years
grew in 6 of the last 8 year-over-year periods
positive in 6 of 9 years
9.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what CCL's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. CCL trades near $28.48, above its 50-day average ($27.29) and 200-day average ($28.24). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 49 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently negative — short-term momentum is fading.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. CCL's is $1.42 (~5.0% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month CCL found buyers near $25.65 (support) and sellers near $31.60 (resistance); its 52-week range is $23.45–$34.03. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.7× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
93.3%
Revenue moved from $17.51B in 2017 to $26.62B in 2025, a 5.4% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 6.1% year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Gross Margin
55.2%
Operating Margin
16.8%
Net Margin
10.4%
ROE
26.2%
Carnival Corporation keeps about 11.5% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 55.2% gross margin and 16.8% operating margin. Return on equity is 26.2% and return on invested capital about 9.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.
Total Debt
$25.57B
Net Debt
$23.33B
Net Debt / EBITDA
5.2x
Debt / Equity
2.17x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 2.2x, and operating profit covers interest about 2.2x, with a current ratio of 0.3x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $25.57B of total debt against $2.24B of cash.
Operating CF
$6.22B
Free Cash Flow
$2.61B
FCF Margin
9.8%
In the latest year Carnival Corporation produced about $6.22B of operating cash flow and $2.61B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 1.8% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
The dividend is being paid, but coverage or consistency is thinner than an income investor should rely on without a closer look.
Dividend yield
2.0%
Per share (latest FY)
$1.95
Total paid (latest FY)
$689.00M
History on record
4 years
dividend uses 26% of free cash flow
25% of net income paid out
no current raise streak
payout was cut at least once in the last 4 years
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
P/E
12.46x
P/S
1.57x
P/B
2.53x
EV / EBITDA
—
CCL trades at 12.5x trailing earnings (about 8.9x on estimated forward earnings), 1.6x sales, and 2.5x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 2.0% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is an undemanding multiple — potentially cheap if the business is stable.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$36.79
Current price
$28.48
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$2.61B
Growth, years 1–5
6.1%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where CCL sits versus its Consumer Discretionary sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 85 Consumer Discretionary companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How CCL stacks up against its Consumer Discretionary peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Consumer Discretionary sector (158 S&P 500 companies), CCL ranks #36 of 158 by our overall rating. It trades at a discount versus the sector on earnings (12.5x P/E vs. 25.8x median) with a similar return on equity (26.2% vs. 26.2%) and slower revenue growth (6.1% vs. 6.8%).
P/E vs sector
12.5x
median 25.8x
ROE vs sector
26.2%
median 26.2%
Growth vs sector
6.1%
median 6.8%
Sector rank
#36
of 158 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Consumer Discretionary companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 158 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $28.48 today · expected CAGR -8% – 2%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $28.22B | $29.91B | $31.71B | $33.61B | $35.63B |
| Net income | $2.82B | $2.99B | $3.17B | $3.36B | $3.56B |
| EPS | $2.10 | $2.23 | $2.36 | $2.50 | $2.65 |
| Share price (low) | $14.72 | $15.60 | $16.54 | $17.53 | $18.58 |
| Share price (high) | $25.23 | $26.74 | $28.35 | $30.05 | $31.85 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -48% / -11% | -26% / -3% | -17% / -0% | -11% / 1% | -8% / 2% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for CCL:
- Strong return on equity (26.2%) shows capital is put to work well.
- As an established S&P 500 member in Consumer Discretionary, it brings scale and a long operating history.
The case against CCL:
- Elevated leverage (debt/equity 2.2x) adds financial risk.
- Interest coverage is thin (2.2x), so debt costs bite.
Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 2.2x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the picture is mixed: Carnival Corporation is a large-cap consumer discretionary business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 12.5x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (54/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 33 Wall Street analysts covering CCL recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Latest SEC Filings
CCL's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
CCL — frequently asked questions
Is CCL a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Carnival Corporation Neutral (54/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is CCL's rating on The Stocks School?
Carnival Corporation currently scores 54/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does CCL's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Carnival Corporation's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for CCL calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this CCL analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell CCL. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.