Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 2.4% – Time to Buy?

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price rose 2.4% on Friday . The company traded as high as $227.05 and last traded at $222.8750. Approximately 35,957,715 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 129% from the average daily volume of 15,672,182 shares. The stock had previously closed at $217.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on ORCL. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $367.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Melius Research upped their price objective on Oracle from $270.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, October 10th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Oracle from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas set a $377.00 price target on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.69.

Oracle Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $279.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $635.37 billion, a PE ratio of 51.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.51.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.08% and a return on equity of 72.93%. The company had revenue of $14.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 46.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 49,365 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total transaction of $13,971,282.30. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 151,999 shares in the company, valued at $43,018,756.98. This represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William G. Parrett sold 11,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $3,519,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,435,784. This represents a 39.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 204,254 shares of company stock worth $60,227,807. Insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its position in Oracle by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 51,350 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $7,179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,110 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,817 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $835,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 32,937 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $7,201,000 after buying an additional 1,515 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, Lockerman Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth about $328,000. 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.