Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Increases Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. grew its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 11.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,729 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,207 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises approximately 1.4% of Inspire Trust Co. N.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $5,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE ORCL traded down $1.94 on Friday, hitting $173.38. The stock had a trading volume of 8,347,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,401,477. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $99.36 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The business's fifty day moving average price is $180.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $484.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.03.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.92%. Oracle's payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Melius upgraded Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com cut Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $183.63.

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.