Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Bought by Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 20.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,750 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,289 shares during the quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth 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 period. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Up 0.2 %

ORCL opened at $152.78 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $112.78 and a twelve month high of $198.31. The company has a market cap of $427.31 billion, a PE ratio of 37.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $164.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.77.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.