Centaurus Financial Inc. Acquires 4,420 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,976 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,420 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $6,328,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded down $0.93 on Thursday, hitting $162.92. The stock had a trading volume of 6,994,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,513,441. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $114.55 and a twelve month high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $144.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $161.61. The company has a market capitalization of $455.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Westpark Capital assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Oracle

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.