Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Receives $174.42 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.42.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens assumed coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. 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 report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $150.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle has a fifty-two week low of $114.55 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.02. The company has a market capitalization of $420.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 284.9% in the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.