Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 0.7% After Insider Selling

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded down 0.7% during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $125.08 and last traded at $125.57. 1,646,809 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 9,143,628 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.47.

Specifically, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $99,966,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $141,546,631.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.76.

Oracle Trading Up 0.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $345.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $111.47.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.29 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 336.11%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 42.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its holdings in Oracle by 298.4% in the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 243 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Nordwand Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.