UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by UBS Group from $225.00 to $250.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the enterprise software provider's stock. UBS Group's target price points to a potential upside of 16.89% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on ORCL. JMP Securities set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Oracle and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $240.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $197.67.

Oracle Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of ORCL traded down $1.39 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $213.88. The stock had a trading volume of 2,568,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,829,212. Oracle has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $216.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $600.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $161.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 87.34% and a net margin of 21.68%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 442,366 shares of company stock valued at $83,395,223 over the last three months. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 91.5% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 3,373,131 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $471,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612,113 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 17.8% during the first quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 5,072 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 501.9% during the first quarter. 1248 Management LLC now owns 30,198 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $4,222,000 after acquiring an additional 25,181 shares in the last quarter. Cim LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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.

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