Carnival is the largest global cruise company, with nearly 100 ships in service. Its portfolio of brands includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in the United Kingdom; Aida in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe.
It is a $35.3B consumer company. Revenue grew 5.2% over the last year, it keeps 11¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~7.0 years of free cash flow. It trades at 11.3× earnings — in the cheapest third of its own history.
- Website
- carnivalcorp.com
- Location
- Miami, FL
- Employees
- 117 000
- Sector
- Consumer Cyclical
- Founded
- 1972
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong valuation; Growth, Health and Moat lag behind.
Valuation100
- P/E vs own history13th pct · 25/25
- FCF yield9.0% · 25/25
- P/S1.3x · 25/25
- EV/EBITDA8.0x · 25/25
Growth45
- Revenue CAGR93.3% · 25/25
- Net income CAGRn/a · 0/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Yn/a · 0/25
- Fwd implied growth28.5% · 20/25
Profitability72
- ROIC8.0% · 12/25
- ROE23.9% · 20/25
- Net margin11.4% · 20/25
- Operating margin15.8% · 20/25
Health15
- Altman Zn/a · 0/25
- Current ratio0.27 · 0/25
- Interest coverage3.1x · 10/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 43% · 5/25
Quality72
- Piotroski F7/9 · 22/25
- Beneish M-2.55 · 25/25
- FCF conversion101% · 25/25
- Margin stabilityσ 1122.5% · 0/25
Moat10
- ROIC >12% years0/9 yrs · 0/25
- Median gross margin11.7% · 0/25
- FCF-positive years6/9 yrs · 10/25
- Worst-year net marginworst -498.0% · 0/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- 2023ProductCarnival restructured its corporate umbrella and created six new separate units that have full…
- FY2018FinancialBest year on record$3.15B net income
- 2018AcquisitionCarnival Corporation announced that it had acquired the White Pass and Yukon Route from TWC…
- FY2016FinancialFirst recorded profitable year$2.78B net income
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $10B$16.4B in first reported year
- 2003AcquisitionCarnival Corporation acquired P&O Princess Cruises plc
- 2000AcquisitionFollowing the demerger in 2000, the company also acquired AIDA Cruises
- 1993MilestoneIt adopted the name Carnival Corporation in 1993, to distinguish the parent company from its flagship cruise line…
- 1989AcquisitionBetween 1989 and 1999, it acquired Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Westours, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa…
- 1987IPOIt went public in 1987 with an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
- 1974MilestoneRestructuring of the P&O group in the 20th century led to its cruise operations being rebranded as P&O Cruises and…
- 1972FoundedCarnival Corporation was founded as the privately owned Carnival Cruise Line in 1972
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- High gross margin (54.6%)
- Piotroski F-Score 7/9 — fundamentally strong checklist
Watch-outs
- Loss-making in 4 of the recent years
- Net debt equals ~7.0 years of free cash flow
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago+5.2% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$3.14B TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year+44.1% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$3.18B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~7.0y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$35.3B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice+21.7% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it5/9 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distresshealth score 10/100
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 1.74%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 11.3
Peer comparisonCarnival Corporation Ltd. vs 6 largest consumer cyclical peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCL this company | $35.3B | 11.3 | +5.2% | 11.4% | Strained |
| AMZN Amazon.Com Inc | $2.8T | 20.9 | +15.8% | 17.4% | Mixed |
| TSLA Tesla, Inc. | $1.5T | 397.1 | +11.8% | 3.7% | Strong |
| NFLX NetFlix Inc | $292.8B | 21.4 | +16.0% | 28.2% | Solid |
| HD Home Depot, Inc. | $290.4B | 20.4 | -16.0% | 8.7% | Solid |
| DIS The Walt Disney Company | $186.5B | 21.7 | +4.6% | 8.7% | Solid |
| MCD McDonald's Corporation | $166.9B | 18.9 | +6.3% | 31.7% | Strained |
Head-to-head: CCL vs AMZN · CCL vs TSLA · CCL vs NFLX
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2025. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/CCL
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Deeper analysis of CCL on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $26.27 · market cap $35.3B.