Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.1% - Here's Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) traded up 0.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $148.45 and last traded at $147.89. 1,374,926 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 9,392,585 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.70.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Up 0.2 %

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 company has a market cap of $421.33 billion, a PE ratio of 36.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.20.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase 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 currently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was 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 $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was 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 trade represents 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 quarter. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the first quarter valued at $27,000. 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.