Northstar Financial Companies Inc. Purchases New Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,064 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $344,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 37,976 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,328,000 after acquiring an additional 4,420 shares in the last quarter. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $233,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $573,000. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC increased its position in Oracle by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC now owns 9,878 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,646,000 after purchasing an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $276,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ORCL. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock traded up $2.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $165.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 17,537,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,540,299. The stock has a market cap of $461.58 billion, a PE ratio of 40.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $144.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.26. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $114.55 and a 52 week high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's 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 owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle 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.