Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading 2.5% Higher – Still a Buy?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price rose 2.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $170.16 and last traded at $169.61. Approximately 2,396,465 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 8,384,246 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.41.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ORCL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com cut Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.63.

Oracle Trading Up 2.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $180.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.97. The company has a market capitalization of $474.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at about $217,000. SMART Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter worth $786,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 84.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 863,883 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $147,206,000 after acquiring an additional 395,613 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 125.7% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Wealth Management LLC MS now owns 3,879 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $661,000 after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 6,486 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.