Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Syon Capital LLC

Syon Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,177 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 2,121 shares during the quarter. Syon Capital LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $4,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,787,003,000 after buying an additional 1,955,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 11.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,370,640,000 after buying an additional 1,917,416 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold 352,174 shares of company stock valued at $64,990,957 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $127.20 on Wednesday. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $148.93 and a 200 day moving average of $165.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market capitalization of $355.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 target price on Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.73.

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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