Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,000,000 shares, a drop of 11.8% from the January 31st total of 27,220,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 10,650,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Oracle Stock Down 6.5 %

NYSE ORCL traded down $10.44 during trading on Thursday, reaching $151.12. 9,007,490 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,517,834. Oracle has a 12-month low of $111.18 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $422.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.10.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Oracle to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in Oracle by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,325,268 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $395,295,000 after buying an additional 53,128 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $133,000. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at about $610,000. 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.