Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Raises Position in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

Key Points

• Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Oracle Corporation by 12.6%, acquiring an additional 13,396 shares, bringing its total holdings to $16.75 million by the end of the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors significantly boosted their stakes in Oracle, with GAMMA Investing LLC increasing its position by an astonishing 15,012.3% in the same period.
• Oracle's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $1.70, exceeding expectations, along with a net revenue of $15.90 billion, marking an 11.3% year-over-year increase.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 119,767 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after buying an additional 13,396 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $16,745,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 15,012.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,755,096 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $664,810,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723,631 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,303,858,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350,448 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in Oracle by 268.4% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $512,909,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,520 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Oracle by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,269,566,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176,892 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,366,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,722,037 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $218.29.

Oracle Trading Up 0.9%

ORCL opened at $245.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. Oracle Corporation has a 52 week low of $118.86 and a 52 week high of $251.60. The stock has a market cap of $688.31 billion, a PE ratio of 56.46, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $204.42 and a 200-day moving average of $171.59.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.08%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, insider Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 15,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.10, for a total value of $3,211,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 60,722 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,000,580.20. The trade was a 19.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total transaction of $770,655.96. Following the sale, the director directly owned 31,447 shares in the company, valued at $7,337,214.04. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 448,669 shares of company stock valued at $85,555,309. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.

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