Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1% Higher

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was up 1% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $167.70 and last traded at $166.20. Approximately 2,766,795 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 8,577,352 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. Melius Research upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Oracle from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty 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 $163.88.

Oracle Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $142.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.81. The stock has a market cap of $465.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.27, a PEG ratio of 3.21 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.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Chairman Lawrence Joseph Ellison sold 1,125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.69, for a total value of $161,651,250.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,145,732,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $164,630,281,802.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,610,402 shares of company stock valued at $230,556,257 over the last ninety days. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 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.