Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 2.4% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) rose 2.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $227.05 and last traded at $222.8750. Approximately 35,957,715 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 129% from the average daily volume of 15,672,182 shares. The stock had previously closed at $217.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Oracle from $250.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Melius Research lifted their target price on Oracle from $270.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Barclays upped their price target on Oracle from $367.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Oracle from $330.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.69.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $635.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.51. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $279.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.56.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.04 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 72.93% and a net margin of 21.08%.Oracle’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.30%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 49,365 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total value of $13,971,282.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 151,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,018,756.98. This trade represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 33,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.16, for a total transaction of $10,869,660.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 132,656 shares in the company, valued at $42,603,800.96. This represents a 20.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 204,254 shares of company stock worth $60,227,807 over the last quarter. 40.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Oracle by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,662,029 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $748,669,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 303,522 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $85,363,000 after buying an additional 38,968 shares in the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 56,319 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $15,839,000 after buying an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. Monograph Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at $262,000. Finally, One Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the third quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 10,523 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,959,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. 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.