Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Washington Trust Bank

Washington Trust Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,490 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 1,726 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Bank's holdings in Oracle were worth $2,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 5.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $411,748,000 after purchasing an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. United Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.8% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 11,430 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,882,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $179.20.

Oracle Trading Down 0.8 %

ORCL traded down $1.28 on Tuesday, hitting $153.59. The company had a trading volume of 8,514,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,509,694. The company's fifty day moving average price is $164.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.36. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The firm has a market cap of $429.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.55, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is 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.