Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 1.5% – Here’s What Happened

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was down 1.5% on Monday . The company traded as low as $163.20 and last traded at $167.55. Approximately 3,096,726 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 14,343,751 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 target price for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Down 0.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $471.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $171.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 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 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Oracle Co. 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, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Passumpsic Savings Bank acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,114,000. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 259,458 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $43,236,000 after acquiring an additional 6,973 shares in the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 24,167 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $4,027,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $533,000. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 7,462 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.