Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 0.5% - Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares traded up 0.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $140.58 and last traded at $139.19. 1,295,046 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 9,341,845 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ORCL. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Trading Up 0.7 %

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 $389.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.05, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $146.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.85.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $411,748,000 after acquiring an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 201.7% during the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 1,069 shares in the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders raised its position in Oracle by 383.4% in the 4th quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,155 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,192,000 after purchasing an additional 5,675 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $27,428,000 after purchasing an additional 32,718 shares during the period. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,800,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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