Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Has $139.82 Million Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 839,065 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,209 shares during the period. Oracle comprises about 0.5% of Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Oracle were worth $139,822,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. Stephens initiated coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,448,328 shares of company stock valued at $453,791,001 in the last three months. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock traded up $1.84 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $134.19. 3,316,261 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,257,175. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $155.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.63. 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 has a market capitalization of $375.32 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

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.