Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 1.9% – Here’s Why

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price traded up 1.9% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $189.80 and last traded at $188.5220. 32,126,246 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 89% from the average session volume of 17,026,971 shares. The stock had previously closed at $184.92.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Oracle from $375.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. BNP Paribas set a $377.00 target price on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Oracle from $364.00 to $339.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $208.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $246.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.92.

Oracle Trading Up 1.9%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $243.44 and a 200-day moving average of $242.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $537.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.66.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $16.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 70.60% and a net margin of 25.28%.The company’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 33,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.16, for a total value of $10,869,660.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 132,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,603,800.96. This represents a 20.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 49,365 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total transaction of $13,971,282.30. Following the sale, the director directly owned 151,999 shares in the company, valued at $43,018,756.98. This trade represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 155,190 shares of company stock valued at $45,279,001. 40.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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