Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 3.4% Higher – What’s Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) was up 3.4% on Monday . The company traded as high as $156.38 and last traded at $155.45. Approximately 2,123,619 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 9,426,535 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. 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 note on Wednesday, March 12th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $439.62 billion, a PE ratio of 38.43, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $142.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,749,670.92. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 7,024 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $982,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Pandora Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth approximately $297,000. Fiduciary Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,656,000. Taylor Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Taylor Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,707 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,035,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth approximately $381,000. 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.