Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 0.3% - Here's What Happened

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $140.89 and last traded at $140.52. 1,028,776 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 9,331,245 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

Oracle Trading Up 3.6 %

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $143.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.90. The stock has a market cap of $421.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business's 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. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Requisite Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in Oracle by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $603,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Bailey Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.