Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Up 1.3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) were up 1.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $171.77 and last traded at $171.41. Approximately 2,451,547 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 8,400,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.48.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $179.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $479.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.91, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 15.3% in the second quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 24,800 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,502,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Chase Investment Counsel Corp bought a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,160,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Oracle by 79.6% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 286,460 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $48,813,000 after purchasing an additional 126,985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 84.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 863,883 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $147,206,000 after buying an additional 395,613 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by 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.