Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 0.4%

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares were down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $138.14 and last traded at $138.52. Approximately 691,582 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 8,442,871 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on ORCL. Citigroup decreased their target price on Oracle from $133.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 10th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.83.

Oracle Stock Down 1.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.87. The company has a market capitalization of $373.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly 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). Oracle had a net margin of 19.76% and a return on equity of 223.01%. The company had revenue of $14.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 completion of 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 2,626,764 shares in the company, valued at $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total transaction of $2,068,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $8,010,030.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,927,500 shares of company stock worth $274,394,924 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Nordwand Advisors LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.