Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 1.4% – Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares traded up 1.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $159.15 and last traded at $158.56. 2,939,935 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 7,317,241 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. BNP Paribas raised Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

Oracle Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $450.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $161.21.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Activest Wealth Management increased 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC grew its position in Oracle by 1.5% during the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $650,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank increased its stake in Oracle by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,003,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, W Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Company Profile

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.