Voya Financial Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Voya Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,119 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 2,493 shares during the period. Voya Financial Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $2,357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Two Sigma Securities LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 124.4% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 7,045 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 35,945 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 992,784 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $165,438,000 after purchasing an additional 128,901 shares during the period. Rothschild Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 268.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $512,909,000 after buying an additional 2,242,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keyvantage Wealth LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $349,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens began coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho reduced their target price on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup lowered their price target 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:ORCL traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $138.50. 5,471,756 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,373,581. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $113.65 and a one year high of $198.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $146.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.93. The company 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related 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 value of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This 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.

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.