Syon Capital LLC Cuts Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Syon Capital LLC decreased its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,177 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 2,121 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $4,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $127.20 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.93 and a 200-day moving average of $165.72. The company has a market cap of $355.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 352,174 shares of company stock valued at $64,990,957. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.73.

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.