Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Melius Research

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) was upgraded by research analysts at Melius Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.88.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL opened at $167.47 on Monday. Oracle has a twelve month low of $99.26 and a twelve month high of $173.99. The firm has a market cap of $464.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.14, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $140.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.95.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Oracle will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total value of $2,068,350.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,010,030.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,685. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,868,820 shares of company stock valued at $267,819,424 over the last three months. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 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.