Oracle Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ORCL)

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 160,947 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 79% compared to the typical volume of 90,070 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ORCL. Evercore ISI restated a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.63.

Oracle Stock Up 5.3%

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $230.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. Oracle has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $231.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $647.58 billion, a PE ratio of 53.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $174.16 and its 200-day moving average is $163.33.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.10, for a total transaction of $3,211,500.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 60,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,000,580.20. This trade represents a 19.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 440,366 shares of company stock worth $83,103,603. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. WorthPointe LLC grew its position in Oracle by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. WorthPointe LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Stage Harbor Financial LLC grew its position in Oracle by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Stage Harbor Financial LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clarkston Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,290 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.