Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Stake Trimmed by Focused Investors LLC

Focused Investors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,084,300 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 20,400 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for about 5.6% of Focused Investors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Focused Investors LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $184,765,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Oracle by 148.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 12,872,300 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,616,855,000 after buying an additional 7,699,141 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 131.2% in the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,911,201 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $552,262,000 after acquiring an additional 2,219,450 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Oracle by 97.4% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,242,647 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $532,920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,093,893 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 16,023.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,065,083 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $351,890,000 after purchasing an additional 2,052,275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 5,853.1% in the 2nd quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 1,552,580 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $219,224,000 after acquiring an additional 1,526,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded down $3.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $183.74. The company had a trading volume of 8,986,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,993,277. The firm has a market cap of $509.15 billion, a PE ratio of 47.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $99.26 and a one year high of $191.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $172.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.83.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 41.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The trade was a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.52.

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.