Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Position Lessened by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,639,877 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 195,339 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.09% of Oracle worth $439,909,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,231,127,000 after buying an additional 2,296,069 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 38,002,902 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $6,332,803,000 after purchasing an additional 156,269 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,814,302 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,954,961,000 after buying an additional 619,619 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,366,531,000 after acquiring an additional 1,722,037 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,995,664 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,998,798,000 after purchasing an additional 97,635 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 352,174 shares of company stock valued at $64,990,957 in the last quarter. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research 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. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $5.41 on Wednesday, hitting $132.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,599,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,338,216. The company has a market capitalization of $371.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $112.78 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The stock's 50-day moving average is $148.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during 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 was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

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.