Zacks Investment Management Has $98.45 Million Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Zacks Investment Management lowered its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 590,808 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 38,724 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for about 0.9% of Zacks Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Zacks Investment Management’s holdings in Oracle were worth $98,452,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock valued at $454,439,851. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $133.83 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $374.33 billion, a PE ratio of 32.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $153.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.15.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for 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%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ORCL. UBS Group restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com cut Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.12.

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.