Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Stake Boosted by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 25.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,039,084 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 212,850 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings in Oracle were worth $173,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,309,207 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $218,166,000 after acquiring an additional 92,132 shares during the period. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 278.2% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 37,818 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $6,302,000 after buying an additional 27,818 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,216,314,000. Finally, Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $10,240,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.65.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Oracle stock traded up $2.60 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $142.41. 2,722,151 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,966,830. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31. The company has a market cap of $398.31 billion, a PE ratio of 34.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $163.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.