Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 2.7% - Here's What Happened

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 2.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $176.56 and last traded at $176.55. Approximately 2,497,334 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 12,003,913 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised Oracle to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $469.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.74.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of Oracle 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 $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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.