Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 4.2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Oracle's stock price increased by 4.2%, reaching a trading high of $311.11, with a significant volume surge of 184% compared to its average trading session.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Oracle, with Guggenheim boosting it to $375.00, and Bank of America upgrading Oracle's rating from "neutral" to "buy".
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, with an annualized rate of $2.00, reflecting a yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 46.30%.

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) traded up 4.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $311.11 and last traded at $309.18. 39,627,212 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 184% from the average session volume of 13,976,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $296.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ORCL shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 target price on Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. BNP Paribas set a $377.00 target price on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $303.44.

Oracle Trading Up 6.6%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.70. The company has a market cap of $935.21 billion, a PE ratio of 63.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $14.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.04 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 72.93% and a net margin of 21.08%.The company's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.30%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 16,323 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.60, for a total transaction of $5,118,892.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 110,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,525,478.40. This trade represents a 12.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 21,241 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.11, for a total value of $6,310,913.51. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 78,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,174,580. The trade was a 21.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 78,247 shares of company stock worth $22,090,505 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter worth $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter worth $28,000. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 284.9% during the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $30,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.