Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $182.73.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, KeyCorp increased 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.

Oracle Stock Up 6.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $184.18 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.90. Oracle has a 1 year low of $106.51 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.14 billion, a PE ratio of 45.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 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.