Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Price Target Raised to $195.00

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) had its price target increased by Royal Bank of Canada from $145.00 to $195.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a sector perform rating on the enterprise software provider's stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Oracle from $180.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Loop Capital set a $135.00 target price on Oracle in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Twelve 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $192.30.

Oracle Trading Up 13.2%

ORCL stock traded up $23.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $199.67. The stock had a trading volume of 54,558,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,567,888. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $202.43. The firm has a market cap of $558.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.82, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.44.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 1,069 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 34.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 12,968 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,258,000 after purchasing an additional 3,299 shares during the last quarter. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth about $211,000. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 6,739 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 13,235 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,850,000 after buying an additional 2,365 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.