Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Price Up 0.8% - Time to Buy?

Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) saw an increase of 0.8% in mid-day trading on Monday. The stock reached a high of $168.05 before settling at a price of $167.61. During the trading session, approximately 2,052,821 shares changed hands, which is a 53% drop compared to the average daily volume of 4,357,997 shares. The previous close for the stock was $166.32.

Analysts' Opinions on Oracle

Oracle has gained attention from various analysts recently. Melius Research upgraded Oracle's rating from "hold" to "buy" in their report dated September 16th. Conversely, Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded the stock from "neutral" to "sell," setting a price target of $130.00 on December 20th. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target from $110.00 to $120.00 while maintaining a "neutral" rating as of September 9th. StockNews.com lowered its rating from "buy" to "hold" in a report on December 10th. Evercore ISI also adjusted their price target from $190.00 to $200.00 and rated the stock as "outperform" on the same date. In summary, the ratings on Oracle vary, with one analyst rating it as a sell, eleven as holds, seventeen as buys, and one as a strong buy. Currently, analysts have an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target price set at $181.48.

Oracle's Financial Metrics

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, indicating a high level of debt compared to equity. Its current ratio stands at 0.81 while the quick ratio is at 0.72. Currently, Oracle's 50-day moving average price is $178.62, while its 200-day moving average price is $160.29. As it stands, Oracle has a market capitalization of $462.56 billion, a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 40.44, a price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 3.39, and a beta of 1.06.

Recently, Oracle reported its quarterly earnings results on December 9th. The company posted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.47, falling short of analysts' estimates of $1.48 by just $0.01. For this quarter, Oracle achieved a net margin of 21.16% and a remarkable return on equity of 133.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was $14.06 billion, which also missed the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. In comparison to the same period last year, Oracle's revenue showed an 8.6% increase.

Oracle's Dividend Information

Oracle announced a quarterly dividend, scheduled to be paid on January 9th. Shareholders who are on record as of January 23 will receive a dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is January 10th. This translates to an annualized dividend of $1.60, offering a yield of 0.97%. The company's payout ratio currently stands at 39.12%.

Institutional Investment in Oracle

Recent trading activity shows that institutional investors are actively buying and selling Oracle shares. Fairway Wealth LLC made a new investment in Oracle during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Reston Wealth Management also initiated a new position during the third quarter worth $44,000. Other institutions such as Quest Partners LLC invested around $40,000 in the same quarter. Avondale Wealth Management and Friedenthal Financial also established new positions during the third quarter with valuations of $51,000 each. Currently, 42.44% of Oracle's stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation, a leading enterprise software provider, offers various products and services to meet global enterprise information technology needs. Its cloud services include software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications such as Oracle Fusion for enterprise resource planning (ERP), performance management, supply chain and manufacturing management, and human capital management. Additionally, Oracle provides healthcare services and advertising solutions through its suite of products.

Investing Decision

Potential investors should note that although Oracle is currently rated as a "Moderate Buy" by many analysts, it may not be the best option available. MarketBeat has identified five other stocks that are currently recommended by top analysts, suggesting that investors should consider these alternatives before deciding on Oracle.

Before investing, individuals should perform thorough research, examining financial health, market conditions, and various factors that could impact stock performance.

Oracle, Stock, Analysis