Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 2.4% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) traded up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $145.40 and last traded at $145.42. 2,581,173 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 8,986,966 shares. The stock had previously closed at $141.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. Mizuho raised their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.65.

Oracle Price Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $383.30 billion, a PE ratio of 33.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The business's fifty day moving average is $161.16 and its 200-day moving average is $169.62.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently 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.