Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC

Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 319,992 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 11,063 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for 3.7% of Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $53,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ORCL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler restated 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective for the company. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL traded up $0.99 on Friday, reaching $138.50. 5,471,756 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,369,502. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $147.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.26. The stock has a market cap of $387.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $113.65 and a twelve month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

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.