Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Reaches New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $193.21 and last traded at $193.21, with a volume of 29033 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $190.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JMP Securities increased their price target on Oracle from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.52.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $175.02 and a 200 day moving average of $148.68. 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 firm has a market cap of $534.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.69, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,076,685. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 5.8% in the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 32,284 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $4,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,758 shares during the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 9,419 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,056 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 2.5% in the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 51,493 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 6.7% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,458 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 67,192 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $8,440,000 after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.