GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 1,636 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,666 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,636 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $16,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management bought a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock opened at $171.52 on Thursday. 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 52 week low of $106.51 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $170.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $479.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

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.