Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 268.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,242,520 shares during the quarter. Oracle makes up 1.7% of Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned about 0.11% of Oracle worth $512,909,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Requisite Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in Oracle by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Bailey Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $138.50. The stock had a trading volume of 5,471,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,373,581. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The firm's 50 day moving average is $146.54 and its 200 day moving average is $164.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $387.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $113.65 and a one year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Fourteen 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

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.