Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 0.5% Following Dividend Announcement

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) was up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $179.60 and last traded at $178.70. Approximately 3,626,669 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 8,360,706 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.74.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.48.

Oracle Trading Up 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $494.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The trade was a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 6.6% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 6,486 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth $546,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth $1,242,000. Capasso Planning Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at about $207,000. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 11.7% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 30,729 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,236,000 after acquiring an additional 3,207 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.