Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 0.3% - Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) fell 0.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $148.52 and last traded at $150.29. 1,258,005 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 9,412,691 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The firm has a market cap of $420.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.74.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for 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%. Oracle's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 38,002,902 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,332,803,000 after purchasing an additional 156,269 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,814,302 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $5,954,961,000 after acquiring an additional 619,619 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,366,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,722,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,269,566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,892 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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