Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1.5% Higher - Time to Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 1.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $150.55 and last traded at $149.81. 2,254,868 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 12,075,117 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.71.

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Oracle Price 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 $418.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company's 50-day moving average is $166.14 and its 200-day moving average is $169.34.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $100,862,000. Silver Oak Wealth Advisors Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 37,976 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $6,328,000 after purchasing an additional 4,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $233,000. 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.

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