Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 1.6% on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Oracle's share price increased by 1.6% after Mizuho raised its price target from $245.00 to $300.00, while the stock closed at $248.90.
• Multiple analysts have recently upgraded their recommendations and price targets for Oracle, with a consensus target price of $227.04 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Oracle announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, yielding approximately 0.8%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 46.08%.

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 1.6% on Friday after Mizuho raised their price target on the stock from $245.00 to $300.00. Mizuho currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Oracle traded as high as $248.00 and last traded at $248.90. Approximately 3,630,267 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 11,954,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $244.96.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Oracle from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Oracle from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Oracle from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.04.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.99, for a total value of $2,329,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 40,807 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This trade represents a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 15,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.48, for a total value of $4,041,142.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 99,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,247,469.76. This trade represents a 13.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 444,183 shares of company stock valued at $86,521,198. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the first quarter worth $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 284.9% in the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $229.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $179.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $700.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.35, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.43.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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