Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 0.7% - Here's What Happened

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) were down 0.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $172.19 and last traded at $172.23. Approximately 1,503,635 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 8,372,392 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ORCL. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $183.63.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $180.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.54. The firm has a market cap of $478.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 16,023.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,065,083 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $351,890,000 after purchasing an additional 2,052,275 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Oracle by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,370,640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,917,416 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Oracle by 2.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,441,556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $12,003,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847,561 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 5,853.1% in the second quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 1,552,580 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $219,224,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 2.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,194,683 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,977,015,000 after acquiring an additional 885,041 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.