Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 3.7% – Here’s Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded down 3.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $154.21 and last traded at $155.58. 3,008,679 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 11,384,048 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.56.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ORCL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $168.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.10. The stock has a market cap of $422.57 billion, a PE ratio of 36.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. TFR Capital LLC. bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Plotkin Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Plotkin Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,635 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,439,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Oracle by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 3,725 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,011 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $286,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.