Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 1% – What’s Next?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) were down 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $187.20 and last traded at $187.33. Approximately 957,160 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 8,240,638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $189.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.52.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $518.33 billion, a PE ratio of 48.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $170.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.85.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The trade was a 12.84 % 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 this link. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Cadence Bank grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.8% in the third quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 0.4% during the third quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. W Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 3.1% during the third quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,957 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $674,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.