Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Holdings Trimmed by Argus Investors Counsel Inc.

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. cut its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,633 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 253 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises about 1.6% of Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $2,438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 325,610 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $55,484,000 after purchasing an additional 21,832 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 20.2% during the third quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 3,065 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 31.9% in the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 2,120 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 513 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 10.0% in the third quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,299 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kesler Norman & Wride LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $605,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ORCL. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Oracle in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:ORCL 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. The company’s 50 day moving average is $170.83 and its 200-day moving average is $164.05. The firm has a market cap of $479.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $106.51 and a 12 month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid 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 yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Oracle 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.