Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 3.3% - Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) was down 3.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $168.16 and last traded at $168.88. Approximately 2,178,611 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 8,280,397 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Oracle from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Oracle from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" 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 stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $168.52.

Oracle Stock Down 3.8 %

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 $465.43 billion, a PE ratio of 43.53, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.39.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 15.3% in the second quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 24,800 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,502,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 25.0% in the first quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,492 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $941,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Buckley Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 63.8% in the third quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,370 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,870 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 55.7% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 22,315 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 7,982 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in Oracle by 7.5% during the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 126,123 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $21,491,000 after acquiring an additional 8,790 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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