Sciencast Management LP Makes New $2.39 Million Investment in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,320 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,386,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the fourth quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders grew its holdings in Oracle by 383.4% in the fourth quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,155 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,192,000 after purchasing an additional 5,675 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Oracle by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $27,428,000 after purchasing an additional 32,718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,800,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Down 0.8 %

ORCL stock traded down $1.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $153.59. 8,514,230 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,509,694. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $164.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.36. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $112.78 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $429.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Remove Ads

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.20.

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.