Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management LLC Raises Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,867 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $454,000. Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,625 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 3,696 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $275,000. Finally, Wright Investors Service Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 30,082 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,013,000 after buying an additional 1,866 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Up 3.2%

ORCL stock opened at $162.29 on Wednesday. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $114.55 and a twelve month high of $198.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market capitalization of $453.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.68, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.76.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, 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.