Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 1.3% – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shot up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $171.77 and last traded at $171.41. 2,451,547 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 8,400,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on ORCL. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius Research upgraded Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.48.

Oracle Trading Up 0.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $480.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.98, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.73.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 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). The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in Oracle by 21.9% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 0.4% during the third quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, W Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 3.1% in the third quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.