Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 1.4%

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price dropped 1.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $165.55 and last traded at $165.63. Approximately 1,821,227 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 8,601,680 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Oracle from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.13.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $458.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 426,861 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total transaction of $60,575,844.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $372,764,079.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Edward Screven sold 426,861 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total transaction of $60,575,844.51. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $372,764,079.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,610,402 shares of company stock worth $230,556,257. Insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. 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.