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

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares were 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 changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 8,393,524 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 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 given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.48.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $479.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $158.64.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the second quarter worth $40,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter worth $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is 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.