Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Buys 1,575 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 10.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,208 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises about 1.7% of Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $2,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ORCL. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank grew its holdings in Oracle by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 5,820 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Greenwood Gearhart Inc. raised its position in shares of Oracle by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 in the last three months. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle Stock Up 13.2%

ORCL stock opened at $199.67 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $558.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $118.86 and a fifty-two week high of $202.49. The business has a 50-day moving average of $151.06 and a 200-day moving average of $160.44.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens initiated coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $180.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.59.

About Oracle

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.