Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 1.6% – Should You Sell?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) was down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $172.11 and last traded at $172.44. Approximately 2,341,324 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 8,373,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.63.

Oracle Trading Down 1.1 %

The company has a market cap of $484.96 billion, a PE ratio of 42.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $180.41 and its 200-day moving average is $155.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Brookstone Capital Management raised its position in shares of Oracle by 34.9% in the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 27,828 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,875,000 after purchasing an additional 7,193 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,992 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $987,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Oracle by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 790,878 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $111,672,000 after purchasing an additional 25,342 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 20,761 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,931,000 after purchasing an additional 4,332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $353,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.