Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 0.3% Higher – Here’s Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) rose 0.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $193.76 and last traded at $192.97. Approximately 1,168,069 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 8,214,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $192.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. UBS Group reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Melius upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.52.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $532.85 billion, a PE ratio of 49.56, a PEG ratio of 3.55 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. The company has a 50 day moving average of $175.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.41.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted 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 net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The business had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the second quarter worth $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. bought a new position in Oracle during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.