Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 1.7% - Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 1.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $135.57 and last traded at $138.46. Approximately 1,367,558 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 11,517,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. 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 report on Monday, March 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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. Stephens began coverage on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle Trading Down 1.0 %

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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.44. The firm has a market cap of $389.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.07, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 12.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,590,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 0.6% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,961 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,499,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $1,531,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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.

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