Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 3.6% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shot up 3.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $213.60 and last traded at $214.42. 4,438,329 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 55% from the average session volume of 9,835,579 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on ORCL. CIBC reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Oracle from $145.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Oracle from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $196.74.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $161.85 and its 200 day moving average is $161.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The company has a market cap of $604.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The business's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.08%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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. Insiders have sold a total of 442,366 shares of company stock worth $83,395,223 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 189.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 153,580 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $25,593,000 after acquiring an additional 100,494 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $903,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 21,781 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,630,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,013 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $3,962,000. 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.