Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price traded up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $159.55 and last traded at $158.10. 1,671,618 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 11,457,846 shares. The stock had previously closed at $157.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $436.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 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.