Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 0.8% Higher – Should You Buy?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL – Get Free Report)’s stock price was up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $136.48 and last traded at $135.78. Approximately 1,082,880 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 9,245,455 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.12.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ORCL

Oracle Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $154.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.39. The company has a market cap of $375.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. 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 – Get Free Report) last issued 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,448,328 shares of company stock worth $453,791,001. Company 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 business. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 11,130 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,556,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Ellenbecker Investment Group boosted its position in Oracle by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 1,586 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV increased its position in Oracle by 48.6% in the first quarter. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV now owns 6,190 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $865,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. CX Institutional now owns 16,114 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,253,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares during the period. Finally, Trueblood Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 7.5% during the first quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,649 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,908,000 after buying an additional 953 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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