Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Acquired by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,156,343 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 468,180 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises about 0.8% of Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,025,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its position in Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on ORCL. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.20.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Trading Down 3.5 %

Shares of ORCL opened at $140.75 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $163.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $112.78 and a 1-year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

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.