Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 0.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $158.52 and last traded at $159.16. Approximately 1,994,905 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 9,424,264 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on ORCL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective 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. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average price is $142.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market cap of $449.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the first quarter valued at $27,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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