Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 0.9% - Time to Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $158.87 and last traded at $158.57. 1,776,496 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 10,950,987 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.18.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays lowered their target price on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a market cap of $444.25 billion, a PE ratio of 38.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's 50 day moving average is $143.49 and its 200-day moving average is $162.32. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm'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 directly owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 1,069 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $27,428,000 after acquiring an additional 32,718 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth about $1,800,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in Oracle by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 564,030 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $93,990,000 after purchasing an additional 163,543 shares during the period. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 43,851 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $7,307,000 after purchasing an additional 4,259 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.