Analysts Set Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Target Price at $179.71

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $179.20.

Several brokerages recently commented on ORCL. UBS Group reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $152.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $427.31 billion, a PE ratio of 37.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $164.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.77.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its 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). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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 paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.