Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $130.76.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Oracle from $125.00 to $122.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on Oracle in a report on Thursday, March 21st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

NYSE:ORCL traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $115.07. 5,491,654 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,535,559. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $119.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34. Oracle has a 12 month low of $93.29 and a 12 month high of $132.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.01.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. Oracle had a return on equity of 336.11% and a net margin of 20.27%. The business had revenue of $13.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. Oracle's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 9th. Oracle's payout ratio is 42.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $99,966,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 42.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 3.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,717 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.9% during the third quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 3,164 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 30.4% during the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 11,617 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,231,000 after buying an additional 2,705 shares in the last quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 70.1% during the third quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,650 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 3,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.3% during the third quarter. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. now owns 3,535 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by 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.