Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 0.9% – Time to Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares shot up 0.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $171.39 and last traded at $171.11. 1,027,132 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 8,252,218 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.52.

Oracle Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $165.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $516.30 billion, a PE ratio of 48.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 5.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after purchasing an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 24,800 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,502,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 63.8% during the 3rd quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,370 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after buying an additional 2,870 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 55.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 22,315 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 7,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 41.7% in the third quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 19,501 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,323,000 after acquiring an additional 5,737 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.