Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $171.77 and last traded at $171.41. Approximately 2,451,547 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 8,400,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius Research upgraded Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.48.

Oracle Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $179.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.55. The firm has a market cap of $479.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced 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 analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 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.