JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Price Target to $185.00

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) had its price target lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $135.00 to $185.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the enterprise software provider's stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on ORCL. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $192.30.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL traded up $23.29 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $199.67. 54,558,768 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,567,888. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $149.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.36. The firm 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. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $202.43.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm 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 predict that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the sale, the director now directly 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 have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 in the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 284.9% during the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.