Aureus Asset Management LLC Purchases 464 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Aureus Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,460 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $10,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth $40,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $184.84 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.01. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $99.26 and a 12 month high of $196.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $512.20 billion, a PE ratio of 47.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ORCL. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other Oracle 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,076,685. The trade was a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.