Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Down 4.6 %

NYSE:ORCL traded down $8.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.92. 9,456,542 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,120,347. Oracle has a 12-month low of $109.66 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of $169.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.74. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $469.66 billion, a PE ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.05.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.