Madison Investment Advisors LLC Takes $27.67 Million Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 166,029 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $27,667,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $151.17 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $166.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.49. The firm has a market cap of $422.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.96, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America lowered their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Thirteen equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.85.

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.

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