Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by DnB Asset Management AS

DnB Asset Management AS lessened its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 43.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 323,499 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 244,245 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS's holdings in Oracle were worth $53,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. Polen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 22.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 11.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL traded down $5.03 on Friday, reaching $140.75. 13,138,087 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,963,386. 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 moving average price is $163.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $393.67 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $112.78 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31.

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Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued 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). 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 analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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 report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $179.20.

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.