Analysts Set Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) PT at $174.42

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-nine analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.42.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup cut their target price on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

Oracle Trading Up 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $5.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $150.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,338,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,424,655. Oracle has a fifty-two week low of $114.55 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $143.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $163.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $421.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Requisite Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Bailey Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 64 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.