Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Sells 1,002,161 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 49.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,036,773 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 1,002,161 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's holdings in Oracle were worth $172,768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares during the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,787,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955,764 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,917,416 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $3.02 on Tuesday, hitting $125.84. 2,920,914 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,311,277. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31. The firm's 50 day moving average is $149.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75, a P/E/G 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 (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment 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 MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock valued at $454,439,851. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

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.