Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

ORCL has been the topic of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $169.91 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $475.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.54, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $172.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $163.08. Oracle has a one year low of $106.51 and a one year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were 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 directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Oracle by 7.2% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 325,610 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $55,484,000 after buying an additional 21,832 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 2.1% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 23,743 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $4,046,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter worth about $217,000. Triton Wealth Management PLLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 2.6% in the third quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 5,169 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lwmg LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.