Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 1.8%

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price rose 1.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $142.75 and last traded at $142.73. Approximately 1,945,461 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 8,528,758 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ORCL. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Mizuho raised their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price target on Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.83.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $125.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.08. The company has a market capitalization of $389.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total transaction of $2,903,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,294.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total value of $2,903,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,294.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 385,639 shares of company stock valued at $53,002,729. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Oracle by 39.8% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 7,991 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 2,276 shares during the period. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 3,042 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the period. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 28.8% in the 3rd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,942 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 856,551 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $90,726,000 after purchasing an additional 140,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,633 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,151,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the period. 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.