Belmont Capital LLC Takes Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Belmont Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,676 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $446,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,231,127,000 after buying an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,787,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,955,764 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Oracle by 11.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,370,640,000 after buying an additional 1,917,416 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Up 3.9 %

NYSE ORCL traded up $4.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $127.55. 4,702,944 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,874,745. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.76 billion, a PE ratio of 31.19, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $112.78 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $165.99.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,565,931.52. This represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock worth $454,439,851. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on ORCL. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.73.

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.