Stonehearth Capital Management LLC Buys 1,675 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Stonehearth Capital Management LLC raised its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 65.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,238 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,675 shares during the period. Stonehearth Capital Management LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $930,095,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,303,858,000 after buying an additional 2,350,448 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in Oracle by 268.4% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $512,909,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,520 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL traded up $2.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $165.03. 17,537,919 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,527,386. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $144.55 and a 200-day moving average of $160.88. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $117.34 and a one year high of $198.31. The firm has a market cap of $461.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.35, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, 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 quarter, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.