Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 1.6% Following Insider Selling

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $129.79 and last traded at $131.77. 1,625,334 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 11,920,652 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.94.

Specifically, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Westpark Capital began coverage on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.73.

Oracle Stock Down 0.9 %

The stock has a market cap of $359.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $166.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 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.