Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Price Target to $150.00

by · The Markets Daily

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL – Free Report) had its price target reduced by Stifel Nicolaus from $175.00 to $150.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on ORCL. Citigroup upgraded shares of Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Oracle to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.71.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on ORCL

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE:ORCL opened at $147.41 on Tuesday. 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 has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $166.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $412.30 billion, a PE ratio of 36.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in Oracle by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Requisite Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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