Marco Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

Key Points

• Marco Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Oracle Corporation by 1.7%, now holding 120,197 shares valued at approximately $16.8 million, making it the firm's 21st largest holding.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their positions in Oracle, with Harel Insurance boosting its stake by 71.6%, acquiring over 107,000 shares.
• Analysts have shown a positive outlook for Oracle, with multiple upgrades of the stock rating to "buy" and increased price targets, reflecting confidence in its growth potential.

Marco Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,197 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,063 shares during the period. Oracle makes up about 1.6% of Marco Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Marco Investment Management LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $16,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 4,149 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $691,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.7% during the first quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 14.9% during the first quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,501 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,549,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL traded down $7.96 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $245.81. 8,921,787 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,086,400. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $211.78 and a 200-day moving average of $174.13. Oracle Corporation has a one year low of $118.86 and a one year high of $260.87. The firm has a market cap of $690.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.63, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 87.34% and a net margin of 21.68%. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. Oracle's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.42, for a total transaction of $76,168,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,097,576 shares in the company, valued at $209,000,421.92. This represents a 26.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rona Alison Fairhead bought 480 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $233.87 per share, with a total value of $112,257.60. Following the acquisition, the director owned 22,110 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,170,865.70. This represents a 2.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 431,169 shares of company stock valued at $82,908,609. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $156.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Oracle from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, CIBC restated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.29.

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.