Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,721,463 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 603,394 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.28% of Oracle worth $1,286,705,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Second Line Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $650,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Requisite Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Warther Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $603,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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Oracle Stock Performance

NYSE ORCL traded up $2.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $142.05. 9,511,593 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,010,916. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 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 business's 50 day moving average is $163.52 and its 200-day moving average is $170.16. The company has a market capitalization of $397.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) 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 business had revenue of $14.13 billion for 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 revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BNP Paribas upgraded Oracle to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Westpark Capital started coverage on Oracle in a report on Tuesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.65.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.