ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $65.84 Million Holdings in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 470,943 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 34,788 shares during the period. Oracle makes up about 2.7% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Oracle were worth $65,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Oracle by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. WorthPointe LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. WorthPointe LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Stage Harbor Financial LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Stage Harbor Financial LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. now owns 1,354 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director owned 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Clayton M. Magouyrk sold 15,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.10, for a total value of $3,211,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 60,722 shares in the company, valued at $13,000,580.20. The trade was a 19.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 440,366 shares of company stock worth $83,103,603 over the last three months. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL traded up $7.41 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $237.39. The stock had a trading volume of 18,441,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,140,491. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $666.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 1.39. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $176.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.79. Oracle Corporation has a 52 week low of $118.86 and a 52 week high of $237.99.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. Oracle's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. JMP Securities set a $240.00 price target on shares of Oracle and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.15.

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.