Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.3% – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded up 0.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $176.07 and last traded at $175.87. Approximately 1,071,464 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 8,389,212 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.52.

Oracle Stock Down 0.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $157.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.38. The company has a market capitalization of $481.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.01.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Oracle by 1.7% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,957 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $674,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 0.5% during the third quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 13,606 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,318,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. First International Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 1.8% in the third quarter. First International Bank & Trust now owns 3,734 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 0.8% in the third quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 8,636 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,472,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 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.