Is Carnival doing well?

Carnival stock is not keeping up with soaring revenue Carnival's business performs much better than its stock performance would suggest. Carnival reported record revenue in the most recent quarter of $6.8 billion, but the stock is still in the bargain bin.



As of early 2026, Carnival Corporation is experiencing a significant financial and operational rebound, with S&P Global recently revising their outlook to "Positive." The company has successfully leveraged record-high "Wave Season" bookings and strong onboard revenue to aggressively pay down the debt incurred during the 2020-2022 pause. In 2025, they reported a record-breaking adjusted net income, and 2026 is projected to see a 12% further increase in profitability despite slow capacity growth. While the company still carries a high debt-to-equity ratio, their "disciplined" ship-ordering strategy—taking no new ship deliveries in 2026—allows them to focus on repairing their balance sheet. With nearly half of their 2026 inventory already booked at "historically high" prices, the company is positioned as a dominant, recovering leader in the global leisure travel sector.

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With shares down almost 80% over the previous five years, Carnival Corporation (CCL -0.53%) has been a punishing investment for many long-term shareholders as it has grappled with headwinds like the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and rising interest rates.

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The world's largest cruise line operator is trading 126% higher in 2023. It might not be too late to hop aboard. The waves keep rising for Carnival (CCL -6.60%). Shares of the world's largest cruise line operator have more than doubled this year, and the Wall Street accolades keep coming.

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Given its recovering revenue levels, Carnival should survive. Nonetheless, its ability for near-term prosperity appears seriously in doubt. As significant portions of the debt mature in 2026 and beyond, Carnival could find itself in a deeper debt trap.

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Cruise giant Carnival was hit hard during the worst of the pandemic. Now, a top Wall Street analyst has issued a dire potential outlook for the company in the case of recession. Morgan Stanley's Jamie Rollo outlined a worse-case scenario: Carnival stock could fall to $0 in the event of a global economic downturn.

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Even with the threat of an impending recession, Carnival Cruise executives and analysts think the cruise line is well positioned to handle any economic downturn. While certainly not recession-proof, Carnival's executive team expressed confidence in the company's long-term outlook.

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Carnival Corp (NYSE:CCL) The 18 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Carnival Corp have a median target of 16.50, with a high estimate of 25.00 and a low estimate of 10.18. The median estimate represents a +29.46% increase from the last price of 12.75.

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Stock Price Forecast The 18 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Carnival Corp have a median target of 16.50, with a high estimate of 25.00 and a low estimate of 10.18. The median estimate represents a +29.46% increase from the last price of 12.75.

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In addition, Carnival Glory will sail a 14-day Transatlantic voyage on April 18, 2024, that features several popular European destinations, including Valencia, and Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Spain, before arriving to its new homeport of Port Canaveral, Fla.

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No, Carnivals not likely to go bankrupt. It still has $7 billion in liquidity on its balance sheet as of the most recent quarters end, which should tide it over for a few more quarters.

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How Much Debt Does Carnival Corporation & Carry? The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Carnival Corporation & had US$33.8b in debt in May 2023; about the same as the year before. However, it also had US$4.47b in cash, and so its net debt is US$29.3b.

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For the fiscal year, Carnival forecasts an adjusted loss of 4-12 cents a share. Carnival guided fiscal 2023 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) between $4.1 billion to $4.2 billion, which includes a $125 million hit due to fuel prices.

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Carnival long term debt for the quarter ending August 31, 2023 was $29.516B, a 3.5% increase year-over-year. Carnival long term debt for 2022 was $31.953B, a 12.08% increase from 2021. Carnival long term debt for 2021 was $28.509B, a 28.83% increase from 2020.

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(CCL) in the U.S. and as Carnival plc (CCL) on the London Stock Exchange. The top individual shareholders of Carnival are Randall J. Weisenburger, Arnold W. Donald, and David Bernstein, and the top institutional shareholders are Micky Meir Arison, Vanguard Group Inc., and Public Investment Fund.

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After discounting aggressively following years of COVID-era testing requirements and restrictions, cruise operators such as Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL. N) and Carnival Corp (CCL. N) are looking to raise prices as occupancy levels approach pre-pandemic levels.

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Carnival Announces Plan For Retiring Its Oldest and Smallest Ship, the AIDA AURA. Carnival has announced retirement plans for its oldest and smallest cruise ship, the 20-year-old AIDA AURA. The ship will be leaving Carnival's service by September this year.

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Royal Caribbean has a massive amount of debt on its balance sheet that it accumulated during the pandemic to stave off bankruptcy. At the end of Q2, the company had $18.7 billion in long-term debt and $1.7 billion in current debt (meaning debt due within 1 year).

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