Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 0.5% Higher – Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price shot up 0.5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $161.30 and last traded at $161.31. 1,890,764 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 9,450,016 shares. The stock had previously closed at $160.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Westpark Capital began coverage on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $142.91 and a 200 day moving average of $162.45. The company has a market cap of $446.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. 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 announced 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). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 201.7% during the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $27,428,000 after purchasing an additional 32,718 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,800,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 564,030 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $93,990,000 after acquiring an additional 163,543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its holdings in Oracle by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 43,851 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $7,307,000 after acquiring an additional 4,259 shares during the last quarter. 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.