Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shot up 1.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $168.42 and last traded at $168.12. 1,828,205 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 8,586,347 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. Melius Research upgraded Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Melius raised shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Argus raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.13.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $460.59 billion, a PE ratio of 44.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $143.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.84.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,076,685. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm'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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total transaction of $2,068,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,010,030.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,573,181 shares of company stock valued at $225,338,245. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other 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.