Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 2.6% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) rose 2.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $125.49 and last traded at $126.05. Approximately 2,401,897 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 9,309,669 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.82.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 target price on shares of Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.73.

Oracle Stock Up 2.9 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $353.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders 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 represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock valued at $454,439,851. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Childress Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Oracle by 8.9% during the first quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,722 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the period. Midwest Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 1st quarter worth approximately $373,000. Absher Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 5.7% in the first quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,264 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 2.4% in the first quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 120,776 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $16,886,000 after buying an additional 2,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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