BTC Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 71,985 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,238 shares during the period. Oracle makes up approximately 1.1% of BTC Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. BTC Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $11,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

Oracle Stock Up 5.2 %

ORCL stock opened at $170.41 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. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $106.51 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $172.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.08. The stock has a market cap of $476.62 billion, a PE ratio of 41.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.06.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.12%.

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.