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

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 359,616 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 51% compared to the typical daily volume of 237,488 call options.

Oracle Stock Up 1.5%

Oracle stock opened at $288.48 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62. Oracle has a 52-week low of $118.86 and a 52-week high of $345.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $264.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.92. The firm has a market cap of $822.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.78, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.53.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.04 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 72.93% and a net margin of 21.08%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.30%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 33,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.16, for a total value of $10,869,660.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 132,656 shares in the company, valued at $42,603,800.96. The trade was a 20.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William G. Parrett sold 11,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $3,519,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,764 shares in the company, valued at $5,435,784. This trade represents a 39.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 104,314 shares of company stock valued at $31,272,223 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, HighMark Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ORCL shares. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Oracle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $270.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $202.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $246.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.71.

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.