InvesTrust Trims Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

InvesTrust reduced its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,589 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 2,398 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for about 1.9% of InvesTrust’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. InvesTrust’s holdings in Oracle were worth $6,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ORCL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $930,095,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Oracle by 15,012.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,755,096 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $664,810,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723,631 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Oracle by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,303,858,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350,448 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target 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 dropped 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. Bank of America dropped their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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. Fourteen investment 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 data from MarketBeat, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock opened at $166.45 on Tuesday. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $117.34 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $144.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.76. The firm has a market cap of $465.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.70, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Oracle Company 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.