Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lowered its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 307,286 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,039 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp’s holdings in Oracle were worth $51,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,787,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 11.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $3,370,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917,416 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Down 6.6 %

ORCL stock opened at $128.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $160.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.34. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company has a market cap of $358.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, research 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays lowered their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.65.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,448,328 shares of company stock worth $453,791,001 over the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by 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.