RiverFront Investment Group LLC Raises Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 50.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,871 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 960 shares during the period. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $478,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vertex Planning Partners LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $531,000. Riverchase Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $269,000. Premier Fund Managers Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $7,943,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 180,117 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $30,015,000 after acquiring an additional 18,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in Oracle by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,039,084 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $173,153,000 after acquiring an additional 212,850 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Trading Down 3.5 %

ORCL opened at $140.75 on Friday. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company has a market capitalization of $393.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $163.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted 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 business had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ORCL. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stephens began coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.20.

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.