Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 2.4% – What’s Next?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) were up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $145.40 and last traded at $145.42. Approximately 2,581,173 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 8,986,966 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective 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, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.65.

Oracle Price Performance

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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $162.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $412.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.06, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.