CWA Asset Management Group LLC Sells 4,726 Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,308 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 4,726 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $10,948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ORCL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 38,002,902 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $6,332,803,000 after purchasing an additional 156,269 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,814,302 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $5,954,961,000 after acquiring an additional 619,619 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Oracle by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,366,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,722,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Oracle by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $3,269,566,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176,892 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Trading Up 1.2%

Oracle stock traded up $2.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $210.63. The stock had a trading volume of 15,046,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,820,395. The firm has a market cap of $589.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.53, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle Corporation has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $216.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $155.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $160.82.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 87.34% and a net margin of 21.68%. The business had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 1,097,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $209,000,421.92. This trade represents a 26.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 427,366 shares of company stock valued at $80,183,723 in the last 90 days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $195.00 price target (up previously from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday, June 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $195.39.

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.