Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 536,677 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 77.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,567 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 536,677 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $16,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its holdings in Oracle by 298.4% during the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 243 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in Oracle during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 1,268.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 342 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $125.28 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $116.00 and a 200-day moving average of $111.37. The company has a market capitalization of $344.33 billion, a PE ratio of 33.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $89.48 and a 52-week high of $132.77.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. Oracle had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 336.11%. The company had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 42.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on Oracle from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Oracle from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Oracle from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. HSBC boosted their price objective on Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, William Blair upgraded Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $99,966,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.