Westpark Capital Begins Coverage on Oracle (NYSE:ORCL)

Westpark Capital began coverage on shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) in a research report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $195.00 target price on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on ORCL. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.65.

Oracle Stock Down 6.0 %

Oracle stock opened at $137.04 on Tuesday. Oracle has a fifty-two week low of $112.78 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $383.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $161.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.62. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business 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%. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Second Line Capital LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Requisite Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp raised its position in Oracle by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Warther Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.