Confluence Investment Management LLC Sells 24,004 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Confluence Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 550,299 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 24,004 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $91,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 21.9% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 312 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 3,816 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Bank raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 0.8% in the third quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 0.4% during the third quarter. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC now owns 17,626 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,003,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, W Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 3.1% during the third quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on ORCL shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.48.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL traded down $0.61 on Thursday, reaching $166.03. The company had a trading volume of 5,360,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,338,902. The stock has a market capitalization of $464.38 billion, a PE ratio of 40.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $101.74 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $178.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.86.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

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.