Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 3.1% – Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares dropped 3.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $133.80 and last traded at $134.93. Approximately 2,017,221 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 9,197,806 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on ORCL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.65.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,448,328 shares of company stock valued at $453,791,001. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.