StockNews.com Upgrades Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) to Buy

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. KeyCorp raised their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $161.05 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $176.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $161.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $450.44 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06. Oracle has a 52 week low of $106.51 and a 52 week high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. Analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new position in Oracle during the third quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.