Capital World Investors Buys 24,556 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Capital World Investors increased its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,702,352 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,556 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned about 0.45% of Oracle worth $2,116,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 12.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after acquiring an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $411,748,000 after purchasing an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,590,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 0.6% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,961 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,499,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock worth $454,439,851 in the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL opened at $128.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $359.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $112.78 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The business has a 50 day moving average of $150.85 and a 200-day moving average of $166.34.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.73.

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.