Marathon Asset Management Ltd Sells 10,445 Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

Marathon Asset Management Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 319,122 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 10,445 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 1.4% of Marathon Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Marathon Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Oracle were worth $44,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 38,002,902 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,332,803,000 after purchasing an additional 156,269 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,814,302 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,954,961,000 after purchasing an additional 619,619 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,366,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,722,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Oracle by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,269,566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,892 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Trading Down 1.2%

Oracle stock opened at $210.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $168.42 and a 200 day moving average of $162.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $590.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle Corporation has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $216.93. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.10, for a total value of $3,211,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 60,722 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,000,580.20. This represents a 19.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 442,366 shares of company stock valued at $83,395,223. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Westpark Capital boosted their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Roth Capital reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, 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. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $197.67.

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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