Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 1.5% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) dropped 1.5% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $163.20 and last traded at $167.55. Approximately 3,096,726 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 14,343,751 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, January 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.00. The company has a market cap of $479.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05. 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 posted 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 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.