Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on ORCL. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a market perform rating for the company. William Blair upgraded Oracle from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $125.00 to $122.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $130.76.

Oracle Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:ORCL opened at $115.07 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $316.27 billion, a PE ratio of 30.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $119.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34. Oracle has a 52 week low of $93.29 and a 52 week high of $132.77.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. Oracle had a return on equity of 336.11% and a net margin of 20.27%. The firm had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Oracle will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.22%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $99,966,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 3.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,717 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $494,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 70.1% in the 3rd quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,650 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $810,000 after purchasing an additional 3,152 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Oracle by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,051 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,124,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Sander Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Oracle by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sander Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 48,869 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,176,000 after purchasing an additional 20,869 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Blueprint LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 5.1% in the third quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 4,077 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.