Foster & Motley Inc. Lowers Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Foster & Motley Inc. trimmed its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 4.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 111,092 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 4,823 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 1.2% of Foster & Motley Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $18,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth about $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the second quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL opened at $177.22 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $164.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.02. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $99.26 and a 52-week high of $178.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The company has a market cap of $491.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 171.38% and a net margin of 20.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ORCL. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,685. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle 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.