Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC decreased its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 26.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,832 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 6,946 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $2,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ORCL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities set a $240.00 price objective on Oracle and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. CIBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Monday, June 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Oracle from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $195.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 427,366 shares of company stock worth $80,183,723 over the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $210.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $589.98 billion, a PE ratio of 51.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $160.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $216.60.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.08%.

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.

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