Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Up 0.1% – What’s Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares rose 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $167.20 and last traded at $166.19. Approximately 1,685,395 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 3,467,897 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.03.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Barclays raised their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.48.

Oracle Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.18. The company has a market capitalization of $465.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.67, a P/E/G 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 announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 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 the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 22,996 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,832,000 after acquiring an additional 3,284 shares during the last quarter. Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $1,620,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 31,465 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Oracle by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,501 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $750,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co of the South raised its holdings in Oracle by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 2,736 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 622 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.