Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1% Higher

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares were up 1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $167.70 and last traded at $166.20. Approximately 2,766,795 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 8,577,352 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius upgraded Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Oracle from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.88.

Oracle Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $141.83 and a 200-day moving average of $131.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $461.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.01.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Edward Screven sold 426,861 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total transaction of $60,575,844.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,626,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $372,764,079.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 426,861 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total value of $60,575,844.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $372,764,079.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,610,402 shares of company stock valued at $230,556,257. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Werlinich Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Werlinich Asset Management LLC now owns 2,325 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 2,869 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Invst LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 2.4% in the second quarter. Invst LLC now owns 3,372 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. ERn Financial LLC raised its position in Oracle by 0.6% in the second quarter. ERn Financial LLC now owns 12,911 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc lifted its stake in Oracle by 1.2% during the second quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 6,600 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.