Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Given New $175.00 Price Target at Cantor Fitzgerald

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its price objective decreased by Cantor Fitzgerald from $214.00 to $175.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has an overweight rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on ORCL. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.92.

Oracle Stock Down 3.0 %

NYSE:ORCL opened at $144.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $403.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle has a fifty-two week low of $112.78 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.62.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 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.