Oracle Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ORCL)

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 161,141 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 107% compared to the average volume of 77,990 call options.

Oracle Stock Up 7.4 %

Oracle stock traded up $11.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $172.89. The stock had a trading volume of 19,126,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,456,510. The firm has a market capitalization of $483.57 billion, a PE ratio of 42.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.06. Oracle has a fifty-two week low of $106.51 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $174.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $161.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Oracle’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Oracle by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $650,000 after purchasing 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 valued at $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,003,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, W Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on ORCL. KeyCorp increased their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

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.