Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) rose 1.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $163.16 and last traded at $161.97. Approximately 3,694,518 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 7,868,612 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Up 0.9 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $450.44 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $175.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.34.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of 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. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 21.9% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 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.