Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 0.3%

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) dropped 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $137.94 and last traded at $139.07. Approximately 984,439 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 8,391,772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.83.

Oracle Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $136.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.26. 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 market cap of $367.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.92, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. The firm had revenue of $14.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $5,298,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 87,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,299,071.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $5,298,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 87,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,299,071.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total value of $2,068,350.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,010,030.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,907,500 shares of company stock worth $272,074,924 over the last three months. Insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Nordwand Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.