Oppenheimer Initiates Coverage on Oracle (NYSE:ORCL)

Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “market perform” rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, March 21st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, William Blair upgraded shares of Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $130.76.

Oracle Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $114.89 on Thursday. Oracle has a 1 year low of $93.29 and a 1 year high of $132.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $119.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.85. The firm has a market cap of $315.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.04. Oracle had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 336.11%. The firm had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $99,966,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its position in Oracle by 298.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 243 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Company Profile

Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Cerner healthcare, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing.