Oracle Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:ORCL)

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 112,104 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 42% compared to the typical daily volume of 79,181 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. CIBC restated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Monday, June 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.32.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 427,366 shares of company stock worth $80,183,723 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optima Capital LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 17.8% in the first quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 5,072 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 501.9% during the 1st quarter. 1248 Management LLC now owns 30,198 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $4,222,000 after purchasing an additional 25,181 shares during the period. Cim LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 720 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Oracle during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $280,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Down 0.8%

Oracle stock traded down $1.73 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $209.37. The stock had a trading volume of 8,641,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,770,529. 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 stock has a market cap of $585.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle has a 12 month low of $118.86 and a 12 month high of $216.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $154.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.49.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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