Why Is Wall Street Falling in Love With Carnival Stock Again?

As analysts start working on their "naughty or nice" list this time of year, Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK) is receiving a lot of bullish attention. At least six Wall Street pros boosted their price targets on the world's largest cruise line operator last week. Wells Fargo is kicking things off early this week, becoming the latest Wall Street firm to jack up its price goal on the shares before the market opened on Monday.These aren't modest revisions. All but one of these seven recent moves are lifting Carnival's near-term upside by $5 to $8, a significant increase for a stock that enters this new trading week just above $25. Carnival has come a long way since the pandemic suspended operations for the industry. The shares have now more than tripled in price since the start of last year, but many analysts seem to think that the upticks will continue in 2025.The economic climate is kind for cruise line stocks. It's not just pent-up demand driving an industry after a prolonged shutdown. We're now a couple of years into the recovery, and the numbers are already well ahead of the operator's pre-pandemic records. Revenue, average revenue per passenger, and customer deposits for future sailings have never been higher. Margins continue to widen as the bottom-line jumps outpace the top-line gains. Adjusted earnings per share soared 62% in Carnival's latest blowout quarter off a 15% year-over-year increase in revenue.Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool