Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.9% - What's Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) rose 0.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $141.10 and last traded at $141.12. Approximately 2,177,662 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 8,963,370 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.65.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $406.25 billion, a PE ratio of 35.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The business's 50 day moving average price is $162.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Second Line Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $650,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Requisite Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp increased its stake in Oracle by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $908,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Warther Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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.