Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 1% - Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shares dropped 1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $145.08 and last traded at $146.36. Approximately 2,906,466 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 11,770,321 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ORCL. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.20.

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Oracle Stock Down 3.5 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $163.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $393.67 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 12.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 11,430 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC grew its position in Oracle by 4.6% in the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 28,210 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $4,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Circle Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 45.3% during the third quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,775 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,926,000 after acquiring an additional 10,836 shares during 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.