Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. Acquires Shares of 12,521 Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,521 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $250,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 20,914 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,485,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares during the period. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX bought a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $222,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $107,000. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $675,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $5.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,969,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,499,682. The stock has a market cap of $452.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.57, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $114.55 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $143.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $161.60.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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). 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 was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS 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 1.24%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at $4,749,670.92. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.