BMO Capital Markets Cuts Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Price Target to $270.00

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) had its price objective lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $355.00 to $270.00 in a research report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the enterprise software provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on ORCL. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Oracle to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Barclays lowered their price target on Oracle from $400.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Oracle from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Monday, December 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $301.57.

Oracle Stock Down 4.6%

ORCL opened at $189.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $540.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.91. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $245.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $241.39. Oracle has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $345.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.62. Oracle had a return on equity of 70.60% and a net margin of 25.28%.The company had revenue of $16.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast 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 Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.62, for a total value of $1,403,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,212,431.46. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,222 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.91, for a total transaction of $641,958.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 29,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,443,394.75. This represents a 7.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 171,513 shares of company stock valued at $50,397,893 in the last quarter. 40.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kampmann Melissa S. grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 11,910 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,350,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its position in Oracle by 0.7% in the third quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,319 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. raised its stake in Oracle by 0.7% during the third quarter. Mine & Arao Wealth Creation & Management LLC. now owns 5,281 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 3.4% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 1,127 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Avion Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 16.6% during the third quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 260 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.