Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 23.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,051 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,509 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $930,095,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 15,012.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,755,096 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $664,810,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723,631 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $2,303,858,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350,448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Oracle by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, 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 quarter, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle Stock Up 0.6%

ORCL stock opened at $166.45 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $144.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $160.76. The company has a market cap of $465.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.70, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $117.34 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital started coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.42.

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.