Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Down 5.9% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) fell 5.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on the stock from $213.00 to $207.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Oracle traded as low as $174.08 and last traded at $176.5090. 36,159,742 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the average session volume of 28,442,039 shares. The stock had previously closed at $187.50.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ORCL. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $400.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $240.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, EVP Stuart Levey sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.19, for a total value of $2,642,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,429 shares in the company, valued at $604,155.51. This represents a 81.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.23, for a total value of $1,552,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,805,476.90. This trade represents a 6.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 40.90% of the company’s stock.

Oracle News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Oracle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded AI partnerships — Oracle broadened its Oracle AI Database integration with Google Cloud (Gemini Enterprise agent) to give customers natural‑language access to Oracle data, reinforcing Oracle’s position in multi‑cloud AI workflows and enterprise data monetization. Oracle And Google Cloud Link AI To Keep Enterprise Data On Oracle
• Positive Sentiment: Large data‑center demand/backlog — Coverage highlights a sizable AI/data‑center backlog supporting Oracle’s hardware + cloud ambitions, which underpins medium‑term revenue visibility despite near‑term market weakness. Oracle’s AI Power Play: $550 Billion Backlog Defies Today’s Tech Slump
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and infrastructure momentum — Oracle secured strategic moves (expanded DENSO supply‑chain work; partnerships with power and data‑center suppliers) that support growth in enterprise cloud and data‑center projects. Oracle Corporation (ORCL) Partners with DENSO Corporation to Enhance Global Supply Chain
• Neutral Sentiment: Large financing underway — Reports say JPMorgan and partners are closing on a record loan package to finance Oracle’s data‑center projects, which supports scale but also increases scrutiny on capital commitments. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Closing in on Record $38B Oracle Data Center Loan
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves — A new CFO appointment with a sizable equity award drew attention amid recent workforce adjustments; investors may view this as governance/execution signal rather than immediate earnings impact. Oracle Appoints CFO With $26M Equity Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst repositioning — Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target and put ORCL at “equal weight,” which moderates some buy‑side enthusiasm but still leaves upside from current levels per their note. Morgan Stanley price target note
• Negative Sentiment: Reported canceled server order — Multiple outlets report Oracle canceled a $1.1B–$1.4B AI server/rack order with Super Micro, triggering volatility and investor concern about vendor relationships and short‑term procurement execution. That news is a primary near‑term negative driver. Why Super Micro Computer Shares Are Falling On Thursday?
• Negative Sentiment: Sector/technical pressure — Broad tech weakness today is weighing on large‑cap software names including ORCL; combined with the server‑order headlines this amplifies selling pressure. Oracle stock drops 5% one day before dividend payment

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Patton Fund Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 626.1% in the third quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 11,537 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,245,000 after acquiring an additional 9,948 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 8.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 40,946 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $11,516,000 after acquiring an additional 3,184 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the third quarter worth $689,000. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.8% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 406,544 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $114,336,000 after acquiring an additional 7,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its position in Oracle by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 99,400 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $27,955,000 after buying an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $507.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.21.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $17.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 25.30% and a return on equity of 62.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. Oracle has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.960-2.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 6.07 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.91%.

About Oracle

Oracle Corporation is a multinational technology company that develops and sells database software, cloud engineered systems, enterprise software applications and related services. The company is widely known for its flagship Oracle Database and a portfolio of enterprise-grade software products that support data management, application development, analytics and middleware. Over recent years Oracle has expanded its focus to include cloud infrastructure and cloud applications, positioning itself as a provider of both platform and software-as-a-service solutions for large organizations.

Oracle’s product and service offerings include Oracle Database and the Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM) and supply chain management (SCM) cloud applications (often grouped under Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications), middleware such as WebLogic, and developer technologies including Java and MySQL.