Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 185,488 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 5,505 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for 1.8% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC's holdings in Oracle were worth $25,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its stake in Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL traded up $15.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $215.54. The stock had a trading volume of 53,639,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,727,788. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.62. The company has a market cap of $602.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $118.86 and a 52-week high of $216.60.

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. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 427,366 shares of company stock valued at $80,183,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Oracle in a research report on Tuesday. DA Davidson upped their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stephens assumed coverage on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Oracle from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $200.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $194.32.

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.