Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 3.1% – Time to Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was down 3.1% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $150.02 and last traded at $149.30. Approximately 1,720,842 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 8,521,907 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.20.

Oracle Trading Up 2.0 %

The company has a market cap of $426.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.26, 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. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $165.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.89.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.