Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its target price lifted by Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $175.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, October 18th. TD Cowen boosted their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.63.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL opened at $175.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $485.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.39, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. Oracle has a fifty-two week low of $99.26 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $180.19 and a 200 day moving average of $155.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Oracle will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 41.24%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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