Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 0.3%

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) shares were down 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $137.94 and last traded at $139.07. Approximately 984,439 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 8,391,772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $139.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. StockNews.com downgraded Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America increased their price target on Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Mizuho raised their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Oracle from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.83.

Oracle Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $135.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.98. The company has a market capitalization of $379.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.57 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total value of $34,042,967.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Oracle news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total transaction of $2,320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,976. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,927,500 shares of company stock valued at $274,394,924. 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 company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,213,890 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $18,993,977,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,569 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in Oracle by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 18,466,713 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,319,604,000 after purchasing an additional 82,551 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in Oracle by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 14,599,902 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,539,268,000 after purchasing an additional 2,191,342 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Oracle by 148.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 12,872,300 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,616,855,000 after purchasing an additional 7,699,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Putnam Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 12,339,385 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,300,941,000 after acquiring an additional 697,961 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.