Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 3.4% Higher – What’s Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price traded up 3.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $156.38 and last traded at $155.45. 2,123,619 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 9,426,535 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.34.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Westpark Capital assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle Trading Up 4.5%

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 firm has a market capitalization of $439.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.43, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $142.12 and a 200-day moving average of $162.87.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 over the last quarter. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 284.9% in the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.