Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 2.7% Higher – Here’s Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) were up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $178.84 and last traded at $178.86. Approximately 2,795,956 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 12,138,278 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.16.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ORCL. Citigroup boosted their target price on Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $492.30 billion, a PE ratio of 43.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $169.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released 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). 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 analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

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