CCL vs. PSO: Carnival vs. Pearson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO) both fall under the Consumer Services industry group, but CCL is classified in Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure while PSO is classified in Diversified Consumer Services.

Carnival (CCL) trades as ordinary local shares, while Pearson (PSO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Profile Item	CCL	PSO
Name	Carnival Corporation Ltd.	Pearson plc Sponsored ADR
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure	Diversified Consumer Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines	Education Services
Market Capitalization	39.77 billion USD	10.38 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	July 24, 1987	November 18, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CCL

PSO

GSPC

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
Total Return (1Y)	17.32%	34.42%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	36.57%	15.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	5.35%	17.99%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CCL

PSO

GSPC

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Carnival (CCL) has a highly aggressive beta of 2.42, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Pearson (PSO) is defensive at 0.43 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.

Carnival (CCL) is heavily traded at around 21.48M shares per day, whereas Pearson (PSO) sees a more moderate 698.84K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	49.89%	25.07%
Beta (5Y)	2.42	0.43
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-73.60%	-30.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)	21.48M	698.84K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CCL and PSO are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.26	1.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.43	1.67

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Carnival (CCL) at 24.00% and Pearson (PSO) at 9.16% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

24.00%

Max: 76.75%
Q3: 34.07%
CCL: 24.00%
Median: 15.90%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

9.16%

Max: 76.75%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
PSO: 9.16%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Carnival (CCL) at 11.37% and Pearson (PSO) at 8.78% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

11.37%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
CCL: 11.37%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

8.78%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
PSO: 8.78%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Carnival (CCL) at 26.43% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Pearson (PSO) at 13.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

26.43%

Max: 49.05%
CCL: 26.43%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

13.32%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
PSO: 13.32%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
ROE (TTM)	24.00%	9.16%
ROA (TTM)	5.40%	5.09%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.37%	8.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	26.43%	13.32%
Gross Margin (TTM)	55.38%	52.04%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Carnival (CCL) at 6.39% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pearson (PSO) at 0.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Carnival (CCL) at 40.28% and Pearson (PSO) at -20.16% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.39%	0.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	29.81%	-2.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	40.28%	-20.16%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	15.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.00 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Carnival (CCL) at 0.27 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

0.27

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
CCL: 0.27
Min: 0.22

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.00

Max: 3.41
PSO: 2.00
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Carnival (CCL) at 1.77 and Pearson (PSO) at 0.52 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.77

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
CCL: 1.77
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

0.52

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
Median: 1.29
PSO: 0.52
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.27	2.00
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.77	0.52
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.28	2.35

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Carnival (CCL) at 1.53% and Pearson (PSO) at 1.46% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.53%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
CCL: 1.53%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

1.46%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
PSO: 1.46%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Carnival (CCL) at 19.82% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Pearson (PSO) at 51.09% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

19.82%

Max: 89.80%
Q3: 36.83%
CCL: 19.82%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

51.09%

Max: 89.80%
PSO: 51.09%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.53%	1.46%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	19.82%	51.09%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Carnival (CCL) at 13.03 and Pearson (PSO) at 25.78 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

13.03

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
Median: 21.88
CCL: 13.03
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

25.78

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
PSO: 25.78
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Carnival (CCL) at 1.44 and Pearson (PSO) at 2.86 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.44

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
Median: 1.54
CCL: 1.44
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.86

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
PSO: 2.86
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Carnival (CCL) at 2.82 and Pearson (PSO) at 2.38 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CCL

Consumer Services industry group

2.82

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
CCL: 2.82
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.38

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
PSO: 2.38
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

Carnival (CCL) vs. Pearson (PSO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Carnival (CCL) and Pearson (PSO)
Metric	CCL	PSO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	13.03	25.78
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.44	2.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.82	2.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.54%	8.08%