Cozad Asset Management Inc. Has $1.63 Million Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,755 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 265 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock opened at $154.01 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $165.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.95. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $430.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on ORCL. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.71.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

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.