Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price traded up 1.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $192.40 and last traded at $190.77. 1,716,909 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 8,240,389 shares. The stock had previously closed at $187.99.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. StockNews.com raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Melius raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.52.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $175.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $527.64 billion, a PE ratio of 49.17, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 21.9% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank increased its position in shares of Oracle by 0.8% during the third quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.4% during the third quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, W Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 3.1% in the third quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.