Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 2.5% – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares were up 2.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $170.16 and last traded at $169.61. Approximately 2,396,465 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 8,384,246 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.41.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ORCL. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.48.

Oracle Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $474.53 billion, a PE ratio of 41.48, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.40.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management bought a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.