Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: What do you think of Carnival Corp., given that we may be finally seeing signs of an economic recovery, and bearing in mind the bad publicity cruise lines have received recently. Thanks for your help.

Article Excerpt

Carnival Corp., $30.32, symbol CCL on New York, and its affiliate, Carnival plc, symbol CCL on the London Stock Exchange (Shares outstanding: 777.1 million; Market cap: $18.1 billion; www.carnivalcorp.com), operate as single business but have separate exchange listings. The combined company is the world’s largest cruise ship operator, with 99 vessels. It took its current form in 2003 through the merger of Carnival and rival P&O Princess. Apart from Carnival Cruise Lines, the company’s major brands include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises and Cunard Line. The company also operates ports and hotels. Carnival gets 60% of its revenue from North America (mainly the Caribbean). The remaining 40% comes from Europe, Australia and Asia. The company owns the Costa Concordia, the 4,000-passenger cruise ship that ran aground and capsized off the Italian island of Isola del Giglio on January 13, 2012. Carnival’s stock fell from $35.14 on the day before the disaster to $29.60 on January 17, 2012. Carnival feels that its insurance will…