WorthPointe LLC Boosts Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

WorthPointe LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,734 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. WorthPointe LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock opened at $154.98 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $112.78 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The stock has a market cap of $433.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $164.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.36.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Oracle Company 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.