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TOP NEWS: Carnival Floats To Top Of FTSE 100 On Strong Results

22nd Mar 2018 13:49

LONDON (Alliance News) - Cruise ship operator Carnival PLC floated to the top of the FTSE 100 index as its second best performer on Thursday after reporting a strong start to financial 2018 amid new record booking levels.

London listed shares in Carnival were 1.9% higher at 4,759.00 pence on Thursday.

For the first quarter ended February 28, net income rose to USD391 million from USD352 the year prior. Adjusted net income - excluding unrealised fuel derivatives movements and other charges - also increased to USD375 million from USD279 million the year before.

Net cruise costs per available lower berth day - excluding fuel - rose 1.0% in constant currencies. This was better than the 2.0% to 3.0% guidance in December. This was primarily due to the timing of expenses between quarters, Carnival said.

Looking forward towards the full year, cumulative advanced bookings was said to be "in line" with the previous year but at higher prices. Net cruise costs per available lower berth day are expected to be 1.0% higher at constant currency, also in line with guidance in December.

For financial 2018, Carnival expects adjusted earnings per share to be between USD4.20 and USD4.40. This is higher than the USD3.82 reported in financial 2017.

In the second quarter, adjusted earnings per share is expected to be in the range of USD0.56 and USD0.60. This is, again, higher than the USD0.52 reported in the same period last year.

"We are off to a strong start to the year achieving another quarter of record earnings on record revenues and exceeding the high end of guidance," Carnival Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald said.

"This strong operational execution affirms our efforts to create demand in excess of measured capacity growth and exceed guest expectations once onboard. Our guest experience efforts, coupled with our ongoing marketing and public relations programs are clearly accelerating cruise demand across the board to drive cruise ticket prices higher."

"The booking strength achieved during this year's wave season, outpacing even last year's record levels, demonstrates sustained strong demand for our world's leading cruise brands and delivers further confidence in our raised earnings guidance. We remain on track to achieve double-digit return on invested capital while continuing to return cash to shareholders through ongoing share repurchases and dividend growth," Donald added.


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Carnival
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