CSM Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

CSM Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,406 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 2,020 shares during the quarter. CSM Advisors LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $15,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 129.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $127.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $355.77 billion, a PE ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $148.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current 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.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities research 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 352,174 shares of company stock valued at $64,990,957. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Oracle

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ORCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.