Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Down 4.8% on Insider Selling

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) traded down 4.8% during mid-day trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $126.95 and last traded at $130.59. 4,378,480 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 9,049,779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.23.

Specifically, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.65.

Oracle Stock Down 6.6 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market capitalization of $358.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50-day moving average is $160.05 and its 200-day moving average is $169.34.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after buying an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 5.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after acquiring an additional 121,874 shares during the period. United Bank lifted its holdings in Oracle by 4.8% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 11,430 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at about $2,590,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 27.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 57,424 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $9,785,000 after purchasing an additional 12,302 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.