Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 2.7% – Time to Sell?

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was down 2.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $181.40 and last traded at $184.79. Approximately 43,575,189 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 157% from the average daily volume of 16,962,160 shares. The stock had previously closed at $189.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on ORCL. Redburn Partners set a $175.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho set a $400.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.92.

Oracle Stock Down 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $245.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.93. The company has a market cap of $530.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.66.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.62. Oracle had a return on equity of 70.60% and a net margin of 25.28%.The business had revenue of $16.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.59%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, EVP Stuart Levey sold 19,758 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $5,927,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,429 shares in the company, valued at $5,528,700. This trade represents a 51.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 33,845 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.16, for a total transaction of $10,869,660.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 132,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,603,800.96. The trade was a 20.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 171,513 shares of company stock worth $50,397,893. Company insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirabella Financial Services LLP grew its holdings in Oracle by 135.8% in the third quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 26,063 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $7,322,000 after purchasing an additional 15,009 shares during the period. Painted Porch Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter worth approximately $246,000. Tull Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Oracle by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tull Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,000 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in Oracle by 1,753.0% during the third quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 1,223 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 320,789 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $90,219,000 after purchasing an additional 3,465 shares during the period. 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.