Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 5.7% - Here's Why

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) rose 5.7% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $135.87 and last traded at $134.51. Approximately 3,910,881 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 9,331,928 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

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 $387.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.93.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. 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 company earned $1.41 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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.