Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Rating Upgraded by BMO Capital Markets

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $235.00 price target on the enterprise software provider's stock, up from their prior price target of $200.00. BMO Capital Markets' target price would indicate a potential upside of 9.03% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, CIBC restated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $194.32.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE:ORCL traded up $15.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $215.54. 53,639,099 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,721,350. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The firm has a market cap of $602.86 billion, a PE ratio of 52.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $216.60. The stock's 50-day moving average is $152.88 and its 200-day moving average is $160.46.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.42, for a total transaction of $76,168,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,097,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $209,000,421.92. This trade represents a 26.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 427,366 shares of company stock valued at $80,183,723. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently 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.