KBC Group NV Lowers Position in Oracle Corporation $ORCL

Key Points

• KBC Group NV reduced its Oracle stake by 5.6% in the first quarter, selling 76,167 shares and leaving it with 1,275,191 shares valued at about $187.6 million.
• Oracle continues to draw mixed analyst attention: several firms raised price targets, and the stock currently has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $268.27.
• Recent insider activity and fundamentals are also in focus, with Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley selling 400,000 shares under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, while Oracle reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue growth.

KBC Group NV cut its stake in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,275,191 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 76,167 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Oracle were worth $187,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 76.9% in the third quarter. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 115 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC grew its position in Oracle by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 2,409 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC grew its position in Oracle by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 11,991 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,337,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Shum Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Shum Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,486 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $1,069,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sherman Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Sherman Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,054 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $155,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Oracle from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Oracle from $319.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Oracle from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.27.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other Oracle news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.16, for a total transaction of $63,664,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 400,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,664,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 40.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $126.48 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The company has a market cap of $364.32 billion, a PE ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.72. Oracle Corporation has a 52 week low of $121.50 and a 52 week high of $345.72. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $177.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $169.28.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, June 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.15. Oracle had a net margin of 25.37% and a return on equity of 58.62%. The firm had revenue of $19.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Oracle has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.720-1.760 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 8.050-8.050 EPS. Research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 6.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 24th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

Oracle News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Oracle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish, arguing Oracle’s huge cloud backlog could eventually translate into much stronger revenue and that the stock may be oversold after its steep decline. Oracle Stock Crash Erases $213 Billion from Billionaire Founder Larry Ellison’s Net Worth
• Positive Sentiment: Oracle’s database and multicloud AI businesses continue to show strong growth momentum, suggesting the long-term AI demand story is still intact. Can Oracle's Database Business Sustain Long-Term Margins?
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and other market writers added to the volatility, with some calling Oracle a cautionary tale while others argued the selloff may be overdone. Jim Cramer Says Oracle Is “Going Down” and Avoid Every Liquor Stock. Here’s What He’d Buy Instead
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico blocked the pipeline for Oracle’s 2.5 GW data-center project, increasing the chance of delays and adding uncertainty to its AI infrastructure expansion. New Mexico Blocks Pipeline for Oracle’s (ORCL) 2.5 GW Data Center Project
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are worried Oracle’s AI spending spree is being financed with too much debt, pushing the company’s credit profile close to junk territory. Oracle’s (ORCL) AI Spending Spree Pushes Its Credit Rating Near Junk
• Negative Sentiment: Oracle’s stock has also been hit by broader articles emphasizing that the company is falling fast as markets question whether the AI growth story can justify the spending and financing risks. Oracle Stock Slides To 52-Week Low Amid AI Spending Fears

Oracle Profile

Oracle Corporation is a multinational technology company that develops and sells database software, cloud engineered systems, enterprise software applications and related services. The company is widely known for its flagship Oracle Database and a portfolio of enterprise-grade software products that support data management, application development, analytics and middleware. Over recent years Oracle has expanded its focus to include cloud infrastructure and cloud applications, positioning itself as a provider of both platform and software-as-a-service solutions for large organizations.

Oracle's product and service offerings include Oracle Database and the Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), enterprise resource planning (ERP), human capital management (HCM) and supply chain management (SCM) cloud applications (often grouped under Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications), middleware such as WebLogic, and developer technologies including Java and MySQL.

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