ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 75,640 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,605,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ORCL. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 5.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $411,748,000 after acquiring an additional 121,874 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069 shares during the period. RMR Wealth Builders boosted its position in Oracle by 383.4% during the 4th quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,155 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,675 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Oracle by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $27,428,000 after purchasing an additional 32,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,800,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock traded down $9.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,968,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,095,138. The firm has a market capitalization of $358.48 billion, a PE ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $160.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.33. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $112.78 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31.

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). 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%. Oracle's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.65.

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.