Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. William Blair upgraded shares of Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. HSBC upped their target price on Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.76.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $117.39 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $120.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.57. Oracle has a 12 month low of $96.10 and a 12 month high of $132.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $322.65 billion, a PE ratio of 30.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $99,966,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total transaction of $5,298,300.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 87,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,299,071.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $141,546,631.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 880,000 shares of company stock worth $110,488,150 over the last quarter. 42.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invst LLC raised its position in Oracle by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 3,299 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 7,334 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $773,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 8,516 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $898,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Oracle by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,244 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 33,435 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,525,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.