Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1.5% Higher – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price rose 1.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $163.16 and last traded at $161.97. Approximately 3,694,518 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 7,868,612 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.54.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Oracle Trading Up 0.9 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $175.44 and its 200 day moving average is $161.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $450.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Oracle by 21.9% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $650,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Cadence Bank lifted its holdings in Oracle by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, W Advisors LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.