Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 45.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,160 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,741 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $7,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter worth about $51,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $161.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $450.44 billion, a PE ratio of 39.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.06. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $106.51 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $176.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $161.21.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.73.

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.