Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Director Sells $648,850.00 in Stock

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $133.83 on Wednesday. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The business’s fifty day moving average is $153.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. 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 announced its earnings results 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Westpark Capital began coverage on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Stephens assumed coverage on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.12.

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.