Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its target price increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $150.00 to $180.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on ORCL. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $192.30.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $199.67 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $558.47 billion, a PE ratio of 48.82, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $202.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $151.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.44.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. Research analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 5,820 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $970,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenwood Gearhart Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is 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.