JMP Securities Increases Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Price Target to $240.00

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at JMP Securities from $205.00 to $240.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market outperform" rating on the enterprise software provider's stock. JMP Securities' price objective indicates a potential upside of 20.20% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $192.30.

Oracle Trading Up 13.2%

Shares of Oracle stock traded up $23.29 on Thursday, hitting $199.67. 54,558,768 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,567,888. Oracle has a one year low of $118.86 and a one year high of $202.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a fifty day moving average of $149.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $160.36. The company has a market capitalization of $558.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 284.9% in the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.