Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $190.00 to $200.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 12.34% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ORCL. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.77.

Oracle Stock Up 2.3%

Oracle stock traded up $4.01 during trading on Monday, reaching $178.03. The stock had a trading volume of 4,632,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,686,855. Oracle has a 52-week low of $118.86 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $147.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $497.93 billion, a PE ratio of 43.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents 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 have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the fourth quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 34.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 12,968 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,258,000 after buying an additional 3,299 shares in the last quarter. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. lifted its position in Oracle by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 6,739 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certuity LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 7,811 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after buying an additional 1,753 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.