Zacks Investment Management Trims Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Zacks Investment Management cut its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 590,808 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 38,724 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for about 0.9% of Zacks Investment Management's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Zacks Investment Management's holdings in Oracle were worth $98,452,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Requisite Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Oracle by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Oracle by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Bailey Securities LLC increased its position in Oracle by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ORCL stock traded down $1.20 on Friday, hitting $128.56. The company had a trading volume of 8,919,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,320,254. The stock's 50-day moving average is $151.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $359.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $112.78 and a twelve month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Westpark Capital assumed coverage on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock valued at $454,439,851 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

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.