Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Receives $301.57 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-three ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, twenty-seven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $302.9189.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, October 17th. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on Oracle from $202.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Oracle from $310.00 to $250.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $270.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $188.52 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $541.65 billion, a PE ratio of 35.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $241.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.25. Oracle has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $345.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.62. Oracle had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 70.60%. The company had revenue of $16.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.62, for a total value of $1,403,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,212,431.46. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 49,365 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total value of $13,971,282.30. Following the sale, the director directly owned 151,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,018,756.98. This represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 155,190 shares of company stock valued at $45,279,001. Corporate insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 5,093,200 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,113,526,000 after buying an additional 360,000 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,817 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $835,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 32,937 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $7,201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,515 shares during the period. Cascade Investment Group Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle during the second quarter worth about $239,000. Finally, Lockerman Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Oracle in the second quarter worth about $328,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently 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.