Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Morningstar Investment Services LLC

Morningstar Investment Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 58.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,118 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 30,265 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Services LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $2,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. increased its position in shares of Oracle by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. WorthPointe LLC grew its position in Oracle by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. WorthPointe LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Stage Harbor Financial LLC grew its position in Oracle by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Stage Harbor Financial LLC now owns 1,433 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Oracle by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 11,288 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Hurlow Wealth Management Group Inc. now owns 4,149 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $691,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owned 40,807 shares in the company, valued at $9,507,622.93. This trade represents a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total transaction of $770,655.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 31,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,337,214.04. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 448,669 shares of company stock valued at $85,555,309 over the last quarter. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Trading Down 1.4%

Oracle stock traded down $3.45 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $245.30. The stock had a trading volume of 9,671,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,370,432. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. Oracle Corporation has a 52-week low of $118.86 and a 52-week high of $251.60. The firm has a market cap of $689.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $196.21 and a 200 day moving average of $168.95.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. The business's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ORCL shares. CIBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $221.00 price objective (up previously from $202.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.29.

About Oracle

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.