Carnival Shares Surge For 2nd Day On 2Q Results

NEW YORK (AP) — Carnival Corp.'s shares surged Friday for the second straight day after the cruise operator reported a better-than-expected second-quarter profit and analysts expressed a more favorable view of the stock, saying cruise booking prices have are starting to increase.

Carnival shares gained $1.53, or 6.2 percent, to $26.30 on Friday afternoon, after jumping 8 percent on Thursday. The stock has traded between $14.85 and $42.39 during the past 52 weeks.

Barclays Capital analyst Felicia Hendrix raised Carnival to an "Equal Weight" rating from an "Underweight" rating. "Our upgrade is based on our belief that cruise pricing has bottomed as evidenced by commentary on (Carnival's) earnings call yesterday," she said. ...