Short Interest in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Grows By 19.5%

Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 34,761,104 shares, an increase of 19.5% from the January 15th total of 29,096,646 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 27,939,104 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 27,939,104 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, insider Mark Hura sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.89, for a total value of $2,953,350.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 234,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,087,420.53. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,223 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.61, for a total value of $437,064.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,596 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,032,429.56. The trade was a 7.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 72,223 shares of company stock worth $13,689,064 in the last ninety days. 40.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 5,093,200 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,113,526,000 after purchasing an additional 360,000 shares during the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 626.1% in the 3rd quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 11,537 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,245,000 after buying an additional 9,948 shares during the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 32,937 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $7,201,000 after buying an additional 1,515 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 45.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 3,723 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 1,161 shares during the period. Finally, Alexis Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Alexis Investment Partners LLC now owns 4,540 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $954,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Oracle News

Here are the key news stories impacting Oracle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large backlog and potential near‑term catalysts: analysts and MarketBeat argue Oracle’s multi‑hundred‑billion backlog tied to AI/data‑center demand could drive upside at the upcoming earnings/guidance update, giving investors a reason to buy the dip. Oracle’s Emotion-Driven Sell-Off Sets Up Generational Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Federal contract win: Oracle received an $88M firm‑fixed task order from the U.S. Department of the Air Force, a modest but concrete revenue win and validation of Oracle’s government/defense footprint. US Department of the Air Force Awards Oracle $88M Task Order
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure demand ecosystem: big data‑center projects (e.g., DTE’s Stargate powering OpenAI with Oracle named as a partner/customer) underscore sustained hyperscaler demand for capacity and services that benefit Oracle’s cloud/data‑center strategy. DTE’s Stargate Deal Turns Power Into Profits
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative positioning coverage: pieces in Forbes and similar outlets examine whether ORCL can outpace larger cloud/AI peers; useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Can Oracle Stock Outpace The Giants?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports of “slips” as markets reassess AI capex: coverage noting volatility and re‑rating in software names — informative for positioning but mixed in directional impact. Oracle Slips Amid Concerns Over Debt-Fueled AI Data Center Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Wave of securities‑fraud class‑action filings: multiple law firms have filed or are soliciting lead plaintiffs alleging misstatements tied to Oracle’s mid‑2025 to late‑2025 disclosures; legal risk increases headline volatility and potential future liabilities. Robbins LLP Investor Notice on Oracle Class Action
• Negative Sentiment: Debt and capital‑raise concerns: a Vanguard economist and other outlets flagged the hyperscalers’ $400B+ borrowing wave and called out Oracle’s large capital raises as a source of “hidden risks,” pressuring sentiment around leverage and funding risk. Vanguard Economist Warns Big Tech’s $400B Debt Binge
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive concerns: analyst write‑ups comparing Microsoft and Salesforce stress Azure’s growth and margins, suggesting Oracle faces competitive and margin pressure that could limit multiple expansion. Microsoft vs. Oracle: Which Cloud & AI Giant Has an Edge?

Oracle Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $2.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $156.26. 11,195,923 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 26,939,604. The firm has a market cap of $448.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Oracle has a 1 year low of $118.86 and a 1 year high of $345.72. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $181.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.62.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $16.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 70.60% and a net margin of 25.28%.The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Oracle will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho set a $400.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Oracle from $320.00 to $213.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Bank of America dropped their target price on Oracle from $368.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on Oracle from $350.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $290.97.

Oracle Company Profile

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.