Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Stephens

Analysts at Stephens began coverage on shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target on the enterprise software provider’s stock. Stephens’ target price points to a potential upside of 11.72% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.20.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $149.48 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $418.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. DSG Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $2,526,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Triton Wealth Management PLLC increased its stake in Oracle by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 5,584 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,010,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. Thoma Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $921,000. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 269,266 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $44,871,000 after buying an additional 1,872 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.