Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.73.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th.

Oracle Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $173.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $169.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.80. The stock has a market cap of $485.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.05. Oracle has a one year low of $106.51 and a one year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.