Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 1.3% - What's Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $177.66 and last traded at $177.04. 1,238,520 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 8,456,579 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ORCL. UBS Group lifted their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Ten research 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, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $167.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company's 50-day moving average price is $155.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.15. The company has a market capitalization of $484.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.34, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 42.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,213,890 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $18,993,977,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,569 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Oracle by 0.4% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 18,466,713 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,319,604,000 after purchasing an additional 82,551 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Oracle by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,242,340 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,869,816,000 after purchasing an additional 296,866 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 148.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 12,872,300 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,616,855,000 after purchasing an additional 7,699,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,318,962 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,033,430,000 after purchasing an additional 424,500 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently 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.