Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,046,273 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 335,352 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.29% of Oracle worth $1,340,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dnca Finance acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $17,032,000. Elevatus Welath Management boosted its holdings in Oracle by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Elevatus Welath Management now owns 5,549 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in Oracle by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 14,069 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,150 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,691,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 17,330 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,888,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens began coverage on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $5.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $132.51. The company had a trading volume of 5,849,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,339,052. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $148.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.72. The stock has a market cap of $370.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.41 EPS. Oracle's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 352,174 shares of company stock valued at $64,990,957 in the last 90 days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.