Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Director Leon E. Panetta Sells 5,000 Shares

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ORCL traded down $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $128.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,919,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,324,546. The firm has a market cap of $359.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $112.78 and a 1-year high of $198.31. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $150.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle Co. 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. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.73.

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.