Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Acquired by E Fund Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• E Fund Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Oracle Corporation by 8.1%, now owning 51,252 shares worth approximately $7.17 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc. and Northern Trust Corp, have also increased their stakes in Oracle, indicating strong interest from the investment community.
• Oracle recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.8% for investors.

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 51,252 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,834 shares during the quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $7,166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 1st quarter worth $732,692,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 15,012.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,755,096 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $664,810,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723,631 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,925,413 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $22,498,982,000 after acquiring an additional 3,513,464 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,303,858,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 268.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $512,909,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,520 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Trading Up 0.3%

Oracle stock traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $244.89. 10,274,959 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,188,398. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.81. Oracle Corporation has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $260.87. The firm has a market cap of $687.86 billion, a PE ratio of 56.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 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 (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 87.34% and a net margin of 21.68%. Oracle's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. Research analysts expect that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. TD Cowen raised their target price on Oracle from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. CIBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Westpark Capital raised their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $240.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $222.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.99, for a total value of $2,329,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This trade represents a 19.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value of $770,655.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,337,214.04. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 444,183 shares of company stock worth $86,521,198. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

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.