Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Stake Increased by GoalVest Advisory LLC

GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 1,446.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,186 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

Oracle stock traded up $2.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $165.03. 17,537,919 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,540,299. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $114.55 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The stock has a market cap of $461.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm's 50 day moving average is $144.55 and its 200 day moving average is $161.26.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" 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 report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price 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. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

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.