DSM Capital Partners LLC Sells 3,193 Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

Key Points

• DSM Capital Partners LLC has reduced its stake in Oracle Corporation by 5.4%, owning 55,462 shares worth approximately $7.75 million after selling 3,193 shares.
• Oracle announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.8%, with a payout ratio of 46.08%.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Oracle, with TD Cowen setting a new target at $325.00 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" across 23 analysts.

DSM Capital Partners LLC cut its stake in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 5.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,462 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 3,193 shares during the quarter. Oracle makes up 0.1% of DSM Capital Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. DSM Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $7,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Oracle Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of ORCL traded up $3.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $248.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,535,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,821,110. The stock has a market cap of $697.94 billion, a PE ratio of 57.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick 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 $260.87. The company's fifty day moving average price is $230.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.39.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ORCL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. CIBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Monday, June 9th. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $240.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.04.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 15,880 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.48, for a total transaction of $4,041,142.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 99,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,247,469.76. The trade was a 13.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Rona Alison Fairhead bought 480 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $233.87 per share, for a total transaction of $112,257.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,170,865.70. This trade represents a 2.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 444,183 shares of company stock worth $86,521,198 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Company 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.