Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to "Buy" Rating

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ORCL. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.48.

Oracle Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Oracle stock traded up $1.42 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $159.73. The stock had a trading volume of 9,207,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,313,787. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $176.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.22. The firm has a market cap of $446.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle has a 12-month low of $105.68 and a 12-month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Charles Schwab Trust Co raised its holdings in Oracle by 28.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 10,247 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,708,000 after purchasing an additional 2,264 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 240,777 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $40,123,000 after buying an additional 2,828 shares during the last quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC now owns 36,016 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,002,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $80,000. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 33,416 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $5,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.