Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 2% on Analyst Downgrade

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)’s stock price was down 2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Erste Group Bank downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as low as $228.89 and last traded at $235.95. Approximately 20,312,798 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 31% from the average daily volume of 15,470,663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $240.83.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $330.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Oracle from $367.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Baird R W raised Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William G. Parrett sold 11,500 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $3,519,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,435,784. The trade was a 39.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stuart Levey sold 19,758 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $5,927,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,429 shares in the company, valued at $5,528,700. The trade was a 51.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 204,254 shares of company stock worth $60,227,807 in the last 90 days. 40.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 189.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 153,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $25,593,000 after buying an additional 100,494 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Oracle by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $903,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Trivest Advisors Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter valued at about $5,592,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in Oracle by 463.5% during the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 50,730 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $7,093,000 after acquiring an additional 41,727 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Oracle by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 11,422 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,597,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $279.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.71. The stock has a market cap of $672.64 billion, a PE ratio of 54.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.51.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 72.93% and a net margin of 21.08%.The business had revenue of $14.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Oracle has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.270-1.310 EPS. Analysts expect that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 9th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 46.30%.

Oracle Company Profile

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.