Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday.

ORCL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their price target on Oracle from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.52.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock opened at $173.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $160.15 and a 200-day moving average of $140.20. The company has a market cap of $478.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.77, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. Oracle has a 12-month low of $99.26 and a 12-month high of $178.61.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value 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 trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $35,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management acquired a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other 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.