Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 2.5% – What’s Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares shot up 2.5% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $170.16 and last traded at $169.61. 2,396,465 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 8,384,246 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.41.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price 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. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.63.

Oracle Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $180.09 and its 200 day moving average is $156.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $474.06 billion, a PE ratio of 41.44, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the third quarter worth $44,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.