Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 6,292 Shares of Oracle Corporation $ORCL

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC cut its Oracle stake by 2.5% in the first quarter, selling 6,292 shares and leaving it with 242,153 shares worth about $35.6 million.
• Oracle’s latest earnings beat expectations, with quarterly EPS of $2.11 versus consensus of $1.96 and revenue of $19.18 billion, up 20.6% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $268.27, though recent headlines highlight concerns about debt, AI spending, and potential delays to data-center projects.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 242,153 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 6,292 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 1.2% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $35,623,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. HFM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 290.9% in the 4th quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the third quarter worth $28,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Oracle from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Oracle from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Wedbush cut their price target on Oracle from $275.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.16, for a total value of $63,664,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 400,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,664,000. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 40.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock opened at $126.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.46. The company has a market capitalization of $364.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.72. Oracle Corporation has a 52-week low of $121.50 and a 52-week high of $345.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, June 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.15. Oracle had a return on equity of 58.62% and a net margin of 25.37%.The company had revenue of $19.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Oracle has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.720-1.760 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 8.050-8.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that Oracle Corporation will post 6.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Oracle

Here are the key news stories impacting Oracle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish, arguing Oracle’s huge cloud backlog could eventually translate into much stronger revenue and that the stock may be oversold after its steep decline. Oracle Stock Crash Erases $213 Billion from Billionaire Founder Larry Ellison’s Net Worth
• Positive Sentiment: Oracle’s database and multicloud AI businesses continue to show strong growth momentum, suggesting the long-term AI demand story is still intact. Can Oracle's Database Business Sustain Long-Term Margins?
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and other market writers added to the volatility, with some calling Oracle a cautionary tale while others argued the selloff may be overdone. Jim Cramer Says Oracle Is “Going Down” and Avoid Every Liquor Stock. Here’s What He’d Buy Instead
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico blocked the pipeline for Oracle’s 2.5 GW data-center project, increasing the chance of delays and adding uncertainty to its AI infrastructure expansion. New Mexico Blocks Pipeline for Oracle’s (ORCL) 2.5 GW Data Center Project
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are worried Oracle’s AI spending spree is being financed with too much debt, pushing the company’s credit profile close to junk territory. Oracle’s (ORCL) AI Spending Spree Pushes Its Credit Rating Near Junk
• Negative Sentiment: Oracle’s stock has also been hit by broader articles emphasizing that the company is falling fast as markets question whether the AI growth story can justify the spending and financing risks. Oracle Stock Slides To 52-Week Low Amid AI Spending Fears

About Oracle

Oracle Corporation is a multinational technology company that develops and sells database software, cloud engineered systems, enterprise software applications and related services. The company is widely known for its flagship Oracle Database and a portfolio of enterprise-grade software products that support data management, application development, analytics and middleware. Over recent years Oracle has expanded its focus to include cloud infrastructure and cloud applications, positioning itself as a provider of both platform and software-as-a-service solutions for large organizations.

Oracle's product and service offerings include Oracle Database and the Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM) and supply chain management (SCM) cloud applications (often grouped under Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications), middleware such as WebLogic, and developer technologies including Java and MySQL.

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