Carnival Corporation Earnings Preview: What to Expect

Miami, Florida-based Carnival Corporation & plc (CCL) is a cruise company with a market cap of $32.7 billion. It provides leisure travel services through well-known brands and generates revenue primarily from passenger ticket sales and onboard spending.   It is scheduled to announce its fiscal Q4 earnings for 2025 before the market opens on Friday, Dec. 19

Before this event, analysts expect this cruise company to report a profit of $0.25 per share, up 78.6% from $0.14 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has surpassed Wall Street’s earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters. In Q1, CCL’s EPS of $1.43 exceeded the consensus estimates by a notable margin of 8.3%. 

For the current fiscal year, ending in November, analysts expect CCL to report a profit of $2.17 per share, up 52.8% from $1.42 per share in fiscal 2024. Its EPS is expected to further grow 10.1% year-over-year to $2.39 in fiscal 2026.

CCL has gained 14.2% over the past 52 weeks, outperforming both the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 11.1% return and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLY) 7.4% uptick over the same time period.

On Sep. 29, shares of CCL plunged 4% after its Q3 earnings release, despite reporting better-than-expected results. The company’s revenue improved 3.3% year-over-year to a record $8.2 billion, surpassing consensus estimates by nearly 1%. This marks CCL’s tenth consecutive quarter of record revenues. Moreover, its adjusted EPS climbed 12.6% from the year-ago quarter to $1.43, handily topping Wall Street expectations of $1.32. 

Wall Street analysts are highly optimistic about CCL’s stock, with a "Strong Buy" rating overall. Among 25 analysts covering the stock, 18 recommend "Strong Buy," one indicates a "Moderate Buy,” and six suggest "Hold.” The mean price target for CCL is $35.39, indicating a 24.7% potential upside from the current levels.