Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.1% – What’s Next?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shot up 0.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $190.90 and last traded at $189.09. 955,425 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 8,213,696 shares. The stock had previously closed at $188.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Oracle from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, October 18th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.52.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $175.02 and its 200 day moving average is $148.68. The firm has a market cap of $534.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of Oracle 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,685. The trade was a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 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.