Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Given New $280.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $250.00 to $280.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the enterprise software provider's stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on ORCL. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Oracle from $215.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen upped their price target on Oracle from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $195.00 price target (up previously from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, June 13th. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. Finally, Westpark Capital upped their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $215.61.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ORCL traded up $7.76 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $249.06. 17,612,488 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,338,980. Oracle has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $251.45. 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 market capitalization of $699.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.39, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.39. The company's 50-day moving average price is $194.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.39.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Rona Alison Fairhead acquired 480 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $233.87 per share, for a total transaction of $112,257.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,110 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,170,865.70. This represents a 2.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.42, for a total value of $76,168,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,097,576 shares in the company, valued at $209,000,421.92. The trade was a 26.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 445,366 shares of company stock worth $84,784,653 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its position in Oracle by 71.6% in the 1st quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 257,378 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $35,984,000 after buying an additional 107,404 shares during the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 10,165 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 711,290 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $99,445,000 after purchasing an additional 10,426 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 34.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 12,968 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,258,000 after purchasing an additional 3,299 shares during the period. Finally, Peak Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. 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.