Howard Financial Services LTD. Acquires New Position in Oracle Corporation $ORCL

Key Points

• Howard Financial Services LTD. acquired 1,461 shares of Oracle Corporation for approximately $319,000 in the second quarter, indicating new institutional interest in the company.
• Oracle's latest financial results showed earnings per share of $1.70, exceeding estimates, and an 11.3% year-over-year increase in revenue, reflecting strong company performance.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a 0.7% yield, scheduled for payment on October 23rd to stockholders of record as of October 9th.

Howard Financial Services LTD. bought a new position in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,461 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $319,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,513,464 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Oracle by 0.6% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,741,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,760,048,000 after buying an additional 120,889 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 0.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 13,884,524 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,941,195,000 after buying an additional 59,164 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 20.5% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 2,350,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Oracle by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 12,736,855 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,749,280,000 after buying an additional 409,691 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Stock Down 5.1%

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $292.07 on Friday. Oracle Corporation has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $345.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $244.69 and a 200-day moving average of $190.37. The company has a market capitalization of $820.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.46.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.08% and a return on equity of 72.93%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 9th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ORCL shares. UBS Group set a $300.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $271.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. CIBC reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Monday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $345.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $296.84.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director Rona Alison Fairhead purchased 480 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $233.87 per share, with a total value of $112,257.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,110 shares in the company, valued at $5,170,865.70. The trade was a 2.22% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.10, for a total transaction of $3,211,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 60,722 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,000,580.20. This represents a 19.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 44,183 shares of company stock valued at $10,353,198 over the last ninety days. Company 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.

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