Carnival Corp.'s third-quarter profit rose 12 percent as the world's largest cruise operator benefited from higher booking prices and new ships in North America and Europe, lifting shares as much as 5 percent. While the latest quarterly results beat Wall Street expectations, Carnival warned its fourth-quarter results could come in lower than in the year-earlier period due to higher fuel costs. Nonetheless, it said full-year earnings could reach the higher end of its previous expectations. The Miami-based company reported net income of $1.38 billion, or $1.67 cents per share, for the third quarter ended Aug. 31, versus $1.23 billion, or $1.49 per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose to $4.3 billion from $3.9 billion in the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected earnings of $1.62 per share on sales of $4.3 billion.
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