PGGM Investments Sells 29,483 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

PGGM Investments trimmed its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 61.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,400 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 29,483 shares during the period. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Oracle were worth $1,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sandy Spring Bank increased its position in Oracle by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 78,049 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $8,229,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI increased its holdings in Oracle by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 5,986 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Quantum Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $229,000. Cooper Financial Group increased its holdings in Oracle by 43.4% during the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 5,038 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $171,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Argus raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. StockNews.com raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.76.

Oracle Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $117.21 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $93.29 and a 52-week high of $132.77. The company has a market capitalization of $322.15 billion, a PE ratio of 30.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s fifty day moving average is $119.42 and its 200 day moving average is $113.16.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.04. Oracle had a return on equity of 336.11% and a net margin of 20.27%. The company had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.22%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $99,966,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $141,546,631.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.