Carnival (CCL) Stock Surges 7% After Strong Q2 Earnings and Upbeat Guidance
Carnival Corporation shares rallied nearly 7% to close at $25.70 following a robust second-quarter earnings beat. The cruise operator posted revenue of $6.33 billion, surpassing Wall Street's $6.21 billion estimate, while adjusted earnings of $0.35 per share crushed the $0.24 consensus.
Key drivers included record net yields climbing 6.4% in constant currency, coupled with reduced cruise costs and fuel consumption. The company cited strong close-in demand, higher ticket prices, and increased onboard spending as catalysts for the outperformance.
Operational metrics showed marked improvement with net income soaring to $565 million—a $475 million year-over-year increase—while adjusted EBITDA grew 26% to $1.5 billion. Carnival's operating margin expanded to 14.8% from 9.7% in the prior-year period.