Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Missouri Trust & Investment Co

Missouri Trust & Investment Co trimmed its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,745 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 0.8% of Missouri Trust & Investment Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Missouri Trust & Investment Co’s holdings in Oracle were worth $2,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 5.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares during the period. RMR Wealth Builders lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 383.4% in the 4th quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,155 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,675 shares during the last quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,160,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 79.6% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 286,460 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $48,813,000 after purchasing an additional 126,985 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 84.5% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 863,883 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $147,206,000 after purchasing an additional 395,613 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL opened at $172.82 on Wednesday. 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 50 day moving average of $174.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.70. The company has a market cap of $483.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.06.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.