B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 22,322 Shares of Oracle Corporation $ORCL

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG has reduced its Oracle Corporation holdings by 13.6%, selling 22,322 shares and now owns 141,261 shares valued at approximately $19.7 million.
• Oracle recently reported earnings of $1.70 per share, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.64, with a revenue of $15.90 billion, up 11.3% year-over-year.
• The firm also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, resulting in an annual yield of 0.9%, with a dividend payout ratio of 46.08%.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its holdings in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 13.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,261 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 22,322 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Oracle were worth $19,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 71.6% during the first quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 257,378 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $35,984,000 after acquiring an additional 107,404 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 4.3% during the first quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 51,350 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $7,179,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the first quarter valued at about $732,692,000. Rockland Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 4.8% during the first quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 10,165 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the period. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% during the first quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 711,290 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $99,445,000 after acquiring an additional 10,426 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL opened at $234.57 on Wednesday. Oracle Corporation has a one year low of $118.86 and a one year high of $260.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $236.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $658.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.43.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (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 period last year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Oracle from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $195.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, June 13th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Westpark Capital upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $227.04.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.99, for a total value of $2,329,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 40,807 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This trade represents a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.42, for a total transaction of $76,168,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,097,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $209,000,421.92. The trade was a 26.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 444,183 shares of company stock valued at $86,521,198. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.