Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.4% – Here’s What Happened

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $159.55 and last traded at $158.10. Approximately 1,671,618 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 11,457,846 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Up 3.3 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.97. 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 capitalization of $436.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

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

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.