Zacks Research Issues Positive Forecast for Oracle Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q3 2027 EPS estimate for Oracle to $1.63 (from $1.56), while the consensus full‑year EPS is $5.00 and analysts' consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a $307.72 price target.
• Oracle topped quarterly expectations with $2.26 EPS (vs. $1.64 expected) and 14.2% revenue growth to $16.06 billion, and announced a $0.50 quarterly dividend ($2.00 annual).
• Investor caution remains: insiders sold roughly 146,346 shares (~$39.1M) in the past 90 days and analysts flag risks from heavy AI capex and rising debt (debt/equity 3.28) despite potential upside from Oracle's AI/OCI push.

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) - Zacks Research raised their Q3 2027 EPS estimates for Oracle in a report issued on Tuesday, December 30th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the enterprise software provider will post earnings per share of $1.63 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.56. The consensus estimate for Oracle's current full-year earnings is $5.00 per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. HSBC restated a "buy" rating and set a $382.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Barclays set a $310.00 price target on Oracle in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Oracle from $380.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $307.72.

Oracle Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE ORCL opened at $194.87 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28. The company has a market cap of $559.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.63, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $219.63 and a 200-day moving average of $242.86. Oracle has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $345.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.62. Oracle had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 70.60%. The firm had revenue of $16.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.59%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 49,365 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total transaction of $13,971,282.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 151,999 shares in the company, valued at $43,018,756.98. This represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.61, for a total transaction of $437,064.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,596 shares in the company, valued at $5,032,429.56. This represents a 7.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 146,346 shares of company stock worth $39,082,996 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 40.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 5,093,200 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,113,526,000 after purchasing an additional 360,000 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 626.1% in the third quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 11,537 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,245,000 after purchasing an additional 9,948 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 9.2% in the second quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,817 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 32,937 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $7,201,000 after buying an additional 1,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cascade Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $239,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Key Stores Impacting Oracle

Here are the key news stories impacting Oracle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fool: Oracle’s big push into AI infrastructure and a large OpenAI relationship could be transformational for revenue if execution and demand line up — a potential multi‑year upside catalyst. Oracle Stock in 5 Years: Moonshot or Crash Landing?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks: Elevated retail/institutional attention on ORCL (“trending”) and some analyst upgrades/price‑target raises suggest buyers remain interested if earnings/guidance continue to beat. Is Trending Stock Oracle Corporation (ORCL) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha: Operational comeback is visible (revenue growth, OCI traction) but the piece flags that “greatness” depends on sustained margin and execution — a measured view that keeps ORCL on a watchlist rather than a clear buy/sell trigger. Oracle's Comeback Is Real, But Greatness Is Still Uncertain
• Neutral Sentiment: FT: Warner Bros. says Larry Ellison’s personal guarantee wasn’t enough to sway its board on a takeover bid — a headline about Oracle’s founder that can affect perception of his influence but is not a direct operating update for ORCL. Warner Bros plans to reject Paramount’s latest hostile bid
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: Oracle insider Mark Hura sold 15,000 shares (Dec. 24 at ~$196.89). Such filings often weigh on sentiment, especially amid a recent price pullback. Mark Hura Sells 15,000 Shares of Oracle NYSE: ORCL Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Yahoo/coverage: Several pieces highlight concern that aggressive AI commitments, heavy capex and rising debt are stretching the balance sheet and raising execution risk — a narrative pressuring multiples and near‑term sentiment. Oracle under pressure as aggressive AI commitments stretch balance sheet
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks: U.S. stock futures were down to start the final trading day of 2025, and broader market weakness is a short‑term headwind for ORCL alongside stock‑specific worries. Initial Claims Decreased More Than Expected

About Oracle

Oracle Corporation is a multinational technology company that develops and sells database software, cloud engineered systems, enterprise software applications and related services. The company is widely known for its flagship Oracle Database and a portfolio of enterprise-grade software products that support data management, application development, analytics and middleware. Over recent years Oracle has expanded its focus to include cloud infrastructure and cloud applications, positioning itself as a provider of both platform and software-as-a-service solutions for large organizations.

Oracle's product and service offerings include Oracle Database and the Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM) and supply chain management (SCM) cloud applications (often grouped under Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications), middleware such as WebLogic, and developer technologies including Java and MySQL.

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