Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 0.9% Higher

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares were up 0.9% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $140.50 and last traded at $140.40. Approximately 1,148,614 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 8,536,303 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.17.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on ORCL. William Blair raised shares of Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.83.

Oracle Trading Up 1.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $124.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $386.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.01.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.57 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 19.76% and a return on equity of 223.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $5,298,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 87,473 shares in the company, valued at $10,299,071.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 385,639 shares of company stock valued at $53,002,729. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.