Coleford Investment Management Ltd. Buys Shares of 149,194 Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Coleford Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 149,194 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $24,862,000. Oracle makes up 6.6% of Coleford Investment Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. grew 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 worth $955,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 511,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $85,311,000 after acquiring an additional 15,496 shares during the last quarter. Everest Management Corp. bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $913,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 117.9% during the fourth quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,318 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 2,877 shares during the period. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,348 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,558,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.73.

Oracle Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL traded down $6.16 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $122.46. The company had a trading volume of 3,248,320 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,301,863. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The firm's 50 day moving average is $150.85 and its 200-day moving average is $166.33. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $112.78 and a 1-year high of $198.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $342.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

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 transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,453,328 shares of company stock worth $454,439,851 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

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.