Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 3.2% – Here’s Why

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price traded up 3.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $215.41 and last traded at $214.32. 22,926,196 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 42% from the average session volume of 16,119,557 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.73.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on ORCL. Stephens boosted their target price on Oracle from $208.00 to $331.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Monday, October 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $367.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Baird R W raised Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.73.

Oracle Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $610.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $255.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.74.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.08% and a return on equity of 72.93%. The firm had revenue of $14.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stuart Levey sold 19,758 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $5,927,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,528,700. The trade was a 51.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director William G. Parrett sold 11,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $3,519,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 17,764 shares in the company, valued at $5,435,784. The trade was a 39.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 204,254 shares of company stock valued at $60,227,807 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Oracle by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 168,960,500 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $47,518,451,000 after buying an additional 4,681,626 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Oracle by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 73,459,391 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $16,060,427,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252,723 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 23,310,827 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $6,555,961,000 after purchasing an additional 266,588 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Oracle by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,741,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,760,048,000 after purchasing an additional 120,889 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,275,378,000. 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.