Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Sells 28,199 Shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. reduced its stake in Oracle Corporation by 18.1%, selling 28,199 shares, leaving them with a total of 127,205 shares valued at approximately $17.78 million.
• Insider selling included Maria Smith selling 10,000 shares worth $2.33 million and Jeffrey Henley selling 400,000 shares for about $76.17 million, marking significant reductions in their respective holdings.
• Analysts have upgraded Oracle's stock price targets, with TD Cowen raising theirs from $275 to $325, and 23 analysts rating the stock as a "buy" based on prevailing market sentiments.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lessened its stake in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 18.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,205 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 28,199 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $17,784,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Tacita Capital Inc increased its holdings in Oracle by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 1,245 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 14.9% during the 1st quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. now owns 1,562 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.99, for a total value of $2,329,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 40,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This represents a 19.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Vice Chairman Jeffrey Henley sold 400,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.42, for a total value of $76,168,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,097,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $209,000,421.92. The trade was a 26.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 444,183 shares of company stock worth $86,521,198 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $248.48 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $230.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $697.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.25, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.43. 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 Corporation has a 1-year low of $118.86 and a 1-year high of $260.87.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Oracle's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on Oracle from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Oracle from $145.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $227.04.

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.

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