Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,380,000 shares, a growth of 27.5% from the May 31st total of 15,200,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,920,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days. Currently, 1.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Oracle Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $143.09 on Tuesday. Oracle has a 52-week low of $99.26 and a 52-week high of $145.32. The stock has a market cap of $394.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $125.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.19.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.57 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Oracle will post 5.01 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on Oracle from $133.00 to $128.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Oracle from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $2,320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,976. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Oracle news, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $2,320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,976. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total value of $2,903,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,071,294.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,639 shares of company stock valued at $53,002,729 in the last quarter. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.