Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1.6% Higher

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) was up 1.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $140.62 and last traded at $140.45. Approximately 1,164,508 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 8,533,005 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday. William Blair upgraded shares of Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.83.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $387.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.62.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.57 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 19.76% and a return on equity of 223.01%. The company’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 11th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 43.13%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $2,320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,976. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total transaction of $5,298,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 87,473 shares in the company, valued at $10,299,071.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total transaction of $2,320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at $2,068,976. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 348,418 shares of company stock worth $47,784,717 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 39.8% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 46,305 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $4,905,000 after acquiring an additional 13,183 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 39.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 7,991 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $846,000 after purchasing an additional 2,276 shares in the last quarter. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 175.3% during the third quarter. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank now owns 11,756 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,245,000 after buying an additional 7,486 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 17.9% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 6,013 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its position in Oracle by 37.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 137,549 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $14,569,000 after buying an additional 37,613 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.