Bernzott Capital Advisors Sells 24,150 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Bernzott Capital Advisors lessened its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 43.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,327 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 24,150 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for approximately 2.6% of Bernzott Capital Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Bernzott Capital Advisors' holdings in Oracle were worth $5,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Oracle by 2.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,441,556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $12,003,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847,561 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,194,683 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $5,977,015,000 after acquiring an additional 885,041 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 11.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,370,640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,917,416 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 1.8% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,898,029 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,049,824,000 after purchasing an additional 310,709 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 0.4% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 14,608,951 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,489,345,000 after purchasing an additional 54,868 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $1.51 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.05. 11,593,649 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,612,270. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $106.51 and a one year high of $198.31. The company has a market cap of $450.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $176.00 and a 200 day moving average of $161.21.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on ORCL. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. BNP Paribas raised shares of Oracle to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $182.73.

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.