Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 0.8% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $136.48 and last traded at $135.78. 1,082,880 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 9,245,455 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. UBS Group reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.73.

Oracle Stock Down 3.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $362.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.70, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $152.83 and a 200 day moving average of $166.90.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during 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% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock worth $454,439,851. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 12.4% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 5.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,590,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $215,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,961 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,499,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Oracle

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.