Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Gateway Investment Advisers LLC

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lessened its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 393,922 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 831 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $55,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the fourth quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 34.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 12,968 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,258,000 after buying an additional 3,299 shares during the last quarter. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $211,000. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 6,739 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Finally, Certuity LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 28.9% in the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 7,811 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,302,000 after acquiring an additional 1,753 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $130.00 price target (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Fourteen 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $174.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $118.86 and a one year high of $198.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $147.20 and a 200-day moving average of $160.67. The company has a market cap of $487.29 billion, a PE ratio of 42.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

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.