Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by ProVise Management Group LLC

ProVise Management Group LLC decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 117,821 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 7,441 shares during the quarter. Oracle makes up 1.7% of ProVise Management Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. ProVise Management Group LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $19,634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $149.48 on Wednesday. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $165.32 and a 200-day moving average of $170.01. The company has a market capitalization of $418.10 billion, a PE ratio of 36.55, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 released its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business 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%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ORCL. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.71.

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.