Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 1.4% – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price traded up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $189.09 and last traded at $189.04. 1,610,435 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 8,252,806 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius Research raised shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Oracle from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.52.

Oracle Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $524.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.72, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 41.24%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.