Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 4.7% – What’s Next?

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)’s share price dropped 4.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $122.93 and last traded at $122.61. Approximately 2,571,770 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 11,841,410 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.62.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 target price on Oracle and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.73.

Oracle Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $339.94 billion, a PE ratio of 29.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50 day moving average is $150.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock worth $454,439,851. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 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.