Guggenheim Reaffirms Buy Rating for Oracle (NYSE:ORCL)

Guggenheim restated their buy rating on shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $220.00 target price on the enterprise software provider's stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on ORCL. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Fourteen equities research 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, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $3.06 during trading on Thursday, reaching $171.16. 7,695,879 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,520,514. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $478.73 billion, a PE ratio of 41.85, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $198.31. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $146.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $160.77.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the sale, the director now owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 284.9% during the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

About Oracle

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.