Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Issues Q4 Earnings Guidance

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) issued an update on its fourth quarter earnings guidance on Monday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $1.61-1.65 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $1.79. The company issued revenue guidance of $15.43-15.72 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $15.91 billion.

Oracle Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $144.29 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $403.58 billion, a PE ratio of 35.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle has a 12 month low of $112.78 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $166.82 and a 200-day moving average of $169.62. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 39.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A hedge fund recently raised its position in Oracle stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 189.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 153,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 100,494 shares during the period. Oracle comprises about 0.7% of Brighton Jones LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $25,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by 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.