Wright Investors Service Inc. Acquires 121 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Wright Investors Service Inc. lifted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,203 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Oracle makes up about 1.4% of Wright Investors Service Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $4,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 23.4% in the 1st quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd now owns 6,328 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $885,000 after buying an additional 1,199 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Oracle by 6.9% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 372,602 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $52,093,000 after purchasing an additional 24,125 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP lifted its position in Oracle by 23.7% during the first quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 7,758 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares in the last quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 29.9% during the first quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,340 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 5.4% during the first quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE:ORCL opened at $165.03 on Friday. 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 $461.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $117.34 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The business’s 50-day moving average is $144.55 and its 200 day moving average is $161.07.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 over the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.42.

About Oracle

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.