Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 2.2% After Analyst Upgrade

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price shot up 2.2% during trading on Monday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $175.00 to $200.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Oracle traded as high as $178.71 and last traded at $177.79. 3,368,986 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 9,488,934 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.02.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on ORCL. Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $175.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $603,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cape ANN Savings Bank grew its stake in Oracle by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 5,820 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $496.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.24.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.