Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 0.9%

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded up 0.9% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $133.94 and last traded at $133.72. 752,359 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 8,338,893 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Oracle from $133.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Oracle from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.83.

Oracle Trading Up 1.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $137.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $377.36 billion, a PE ratio of 36.66, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.57 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Oracle news, Chairman Lawrence Joseph Ellison sold 1,125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.69, for a total transaction of $161,651,250.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,145,732,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $164,630,281,802.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,862,500 shares of company stock valued at $266,776,624. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Security National Bank of SO Dak grew its position in shares of Oracle by 1.6% in the second quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak now owns 32,192 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $4,546,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Oracle by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,242,340 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,869,816,000 after purchasing an additional 296,866 shares during the period. Matrix Private Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $217,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its holdings in Oracle by 37.5% during the 2nd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 17,122 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,418,000 after buying an additional 4,668 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1,903.0% in the second quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 149,244 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $21,073,000 after buying an additional 141,793 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently 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.