Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1.2% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.2% on Thursday after Guggenheim raised their price target on the stock from $220.00 to $250.00. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the stock. Oracle traded as high as $214.72 and last traded at $210.63. Approximately 15,046,293 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 53% from the average daily volume of 9,813,175 shares. The stock had previously closed at $208.18.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $195.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $196.74.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, 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 sold 427,366 shares of company stock valued at $80,183,723 in the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 91.5% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 3,373,131 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $471,491,000 after buying an additional 1,612,113 shares during the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 5,072 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $709,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 501.9% in the 1st quarter. 1248 Management LLC now owns 30,198 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $4,222,000 after purchasing an additional 25,181 shares during the period. Cim LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 19.8% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 720 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.16. The stock has a market cap of $589.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.08%.

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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