Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Price Target Raised to $155.00

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its target price increased by Bank of America from $144.00 to $155.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on ORCL. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $133.00 to $128.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 10th. Argus raised shares of Oracle from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $141.50.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL opened at $138.08 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. The company has a market cap of $379.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.22, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50 day moving average is $121.04 and its 200 day moving average is $116.13. Oracle has a 12-month low of $99.26 and a 12-month high of $142.40.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.57 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 11th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total value of $2,903,250.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,294.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Oracle news, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total transaction of $2,903,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at $2,071,294.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $99,966,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $141,546,631.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 880,000 shares of company stock worth $110,488,150. Insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Contour Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 41.5% during the fourth quarter. Contour Asset Management LLC now owns 2,192,950 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $231,203,000 after purchasing an additional 643,490 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 78,049 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $8,229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 29,301 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,089,000 after purchasing an additional 3,291 shares during the period. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 5,986 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 16,995 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,792,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 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.