Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Given Buy Rating at Guggenheim

Guggenheim reissued their buy rating on shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Guggenheim currently has a $220.00 target price on the enterprise software provider's stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on ORCL. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.65.

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Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded down $8.82 during trading on Thursday, reaching $137.04. The company had a trading volume of 14,415,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,065,646. Oracle has a twelve month low of $112.78 and a twelve month high of $198.31. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $383.30 billion, a PE ratio of 33.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's fifty day moving average is $161.16 and its 200 day moving average is $169.62.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $930,095,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,303,858,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350,448 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 268.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $512,909,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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.