Platform Technology Partners Boosts Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Platform Technology Partners boosted its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,209 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the quarter. Platform Technology Partners’ holdings in Oracle were worth $1,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:ORCL opened at $174.53 on Friday. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $106.51 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The business’s 50-day moving average is $170.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $488.15 billion, a PE ratio of 42.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.12%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

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.