Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 2.7% – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares traded up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $179.99 and last traded at $179.14. 2,418,987 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 13,098,459 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 target price for the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.73.

Oracle Trading Down 2.8 %

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 firm has a market capitalization of $481.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $170.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.24.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 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.