Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $18.30 Million Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,840 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 1,513 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 0.5% of Kentucky Retirement Systems' investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Oracle were worth $18,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of Oracle stock traded down $8.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $167.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,693,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,127,484. 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 has a market capitalization of $469.66 billion, a PE ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.05. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $109.66 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $169.10 and a 200 day moving average of $166.74.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Oracle's payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ORCL. Mizuho upped their price target on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Oracle in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $214.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $182.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.