Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 0.4% - Here's Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) shot up 0.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $138.79 and last traded at $138.12. 1,498,511 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 9,344,117 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ORCL. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.42.

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 capitalization of $386.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $147.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.26.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $930,095,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 15,012.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,755,096 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $664,810,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723,631 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,303,858,000 after buying an additional 2,350,448 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Oracle

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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