Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) is Long Road Investment Counsel LLC’s 4th Largest Position

Long Road Investment Counsel LLC decreased its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 69,978 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,912 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises about 4.8% of Long Road Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $11,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $930,095,000. Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Oracle by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,787,003,000 after buying an additional 1,955,764 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Oracle by 11.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,370,640,000 after buying an additional 1,917,416 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,441,556 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $12,003,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847,561 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 12,327,164 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,012,943,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623,609 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $154.01 on Tuesday. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $112.78 and a 1-year high of $198.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market capitalization of $430.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.95.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.71.

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.