Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 3.1% – What’s Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was down 3.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $150.02 and last traded at $149.30. Approximately 1,720,842 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 8,521,907 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.01.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.71.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $165.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $421.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued 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 return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.