Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 2.2% - Here's Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shot up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $195.00 and last traded at $194.93. 2,641,249 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 8,205,256 shares. The stock had previously closed at $190.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. DA Davidson upped 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.52.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $539.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.02. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $174.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.37.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently 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.

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