Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Purchased by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 3.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,802 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,572 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $10,738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 over the last 90 days. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $166.45 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.55 billion, a PE ratio of 40.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $144.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.76. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $117.34 and a 1 year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion for 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost 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 yield of 1.20%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.