Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday after Melius Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. Approximately 4,783,293 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 43% from the previous session’s volume of 8,443,011 shares.The stock last traded at $168.45 and had previously closed at $162.03.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on ORCL. UBS Group raised their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Oracle from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.88.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total value of $34,042,967.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,626,764 shares in the company, valued at $379,042,045.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,685. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total value of $34,042,967.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,626,764 shares in the company, valued at $379,042,045.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,868,820 shares of company stock worth $267,819,424. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Down 1.7 %

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $140.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $464.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.14, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.01.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.13%.

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.