Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $197.03, but opened at $209.50. Oracle shares last traded at $204.4780, with a volume of 7,368,729 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens lifted their price target on Oracle from $208.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on Oracle from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $330.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.40.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $586.04 billion, a PE ratio of 47.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $268.69 and a 200 day moving average of $237.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.08% and a return on equity of 72.93%. The company had revenue of $14.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.62, for a total transaction of $1,403,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,083 shares in the company, valued at $13,212,431.46. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $11,065,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 154,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,610,859.20. The trade was a 20.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 204,254 shares of company stock worth $60,227,807. Insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 130.0% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 76.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 115 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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.