Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.

MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,968 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 326 shares during the period. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $4,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last three months. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ORCL. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered 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 equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $160.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $447.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.13, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $114.55 and a 52 week high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

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.