Lazard Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 43.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 292,805 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 89,066 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $48,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 201.7% during the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 24.8% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $27,428,000 after acquiring an additional 32,718 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $1,800,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 564,030 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $93,990,000 after acquiring an additional 163,543 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $20,346,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Trading Up 4.5%

ORCL opened at $157.18 on Tuesday. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $114.55 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.76. The firm has a market cap of $439.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $130.00 price target (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Oracle and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle 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.