Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 1.3% Higher – Should You Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $171.77 and last traded at $171.41. Approximately 2,451,547 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 8,400,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.48.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $179.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $480.18 billion, a PE ratio of 41.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 16,023.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,065,083 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $351,890,000 after purchasing an additional 2,052,275 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Oracle by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,370,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917,416 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Oracle by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,441,556 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $12,003,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847,561 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its holdings in Oracle by 5,853.1% during the 2nd quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 1,552,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $219,224,000 after buying an additional 1,526,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 2.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,194,683 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,977,015,000 after buying an additional 885,041 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.