Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 0.6% Higher - Time to Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) was up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $172.84 and last traded at $172.32. Approximately 2,297,783 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 8,380,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $171.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ORCL. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $183.63.

Oracle Stock Down 0.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $180.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.91. The company has a market cap of $474.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. Oracle's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly 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 0.94%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 16,023.4% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,065,083 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $351,890,000 after acquiring an additional 2,052,275 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,370,640,000 after buying an additional 1,917,416 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Oracle by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,441,556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $12,003,241,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847,561 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its holdings in Oracle by 5,853.1% during the second quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 1,552,580 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $219,224,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,194,683 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $5,977,015,000 after purchasing an additional 885,041 shares in the last quarter. 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.