Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Here’s Why

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $171.77 and last traded at $171.41. Approximately 886,052 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 8,393,524 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Evercore ISI upped 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.48.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $179.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.23. The company has a market capitalization of $479.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.