JMP Securities Issues Positive Forecast for Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its target price hoisted by JMP Securities from $315.00 to $342.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a market outperform rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

ORCL has been the topic of several other reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Oracle from $245.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Oracle from $270.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Oracle from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Roth Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Oracle from $250.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $291.23.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $328.40 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $242.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $922.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.02, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. Oracle has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $345.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 80.42% and a net margin of 21.08%.The company’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value of $770,655.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,337,214.04. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.99, for a total value of $2,329,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This represents a 19.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 44,183 shares of company stock valued at $10,353,198. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WT Wealth Management bought a new stake in Oracle in the second quarter worth about $262,000. NWF Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 6.3% in the second quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,596 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $568,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 2.1% in the second quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 21,467 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $4,693,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. American Trust bought a new stake in Oracle in the second quarter worth about $319,000. Finally, PVG Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in Oracle in the second quarter worth about $203,000. 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.