MML Investors Services LLC Sells 4,316 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

MML Investors Services LLC cut its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 284,907 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 4,316 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $47,477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

NYSE:ORCL traded up $4.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $131.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,520,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,368,628. 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 stock has a market cap of $367.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.13, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $148.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.72. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $112.78 and a 12-month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,565,931.52. This represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 352,174 shares of company stock worth $64,990,957. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Citigroup reduced their target price on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho reduced 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. Finally, Westpark Capital assumed coverage on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Company 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.