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

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $179.20.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ORCL. StockNews.com cut shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $152.78 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $164.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.77. Oracle has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $427.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.35, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. 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 (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. DSG Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $2,526,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Triton Wealth Management PLLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 5,584 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,010,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Thoma Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $921,000. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 269,266 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $44,871,000 after purchasing an additional 1,872 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.