Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 1.7% - Should You Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.7% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $147.77 and last traded at $146.70. 3,887,990 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 11,996,810 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.18.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on ORCL. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 target price on Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.85.

Oracle Stock Performance

The business's 50-day moving average price is $166.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $412.43 billion, a PE ratio of 36.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Oracle by 21.9% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 1.5% during the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank boosted its position in Oracle by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is 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.