AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 15,601 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lessened its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 8.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 176,350 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 15,601 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Oracle were worth $24,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last three months. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL stock traded down $0.97 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $168.17. 6,372,366 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,513,566. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $470.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $118.86 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Oracle's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 target price (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Fourteen research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

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.