Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.9% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded up 0.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $141.10 and last traded at $141.12. 2,177,662 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 8,963,370 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.65.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $395.99 billion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. lifted its position in Oracle by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 181,122 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $25,323,000 after acquiring an additional 7,832 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Oracle by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 17,006 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 1,687 shares during the last quarter. Stonehearth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 65.4% during the first quarter. Stonehearth Capital Management LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after buying an additional 1,675 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $473,000. Finally, Fire Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $800,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.