Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Acquired by Argent Trust Co

Key Points

• Argent Trust Co increased its holdings in Oracle Corporation by 3.5% in Q1, owning 112,072 shares valued at approximately $15.67 million.
• A significant dividend of $0.50 per share was recently paid to Oracle stockholders, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.8%.
• Analysts have varying price targets for Oracle stock, with Goldman Sachs setting a neutral rating and a price objective of $195, while Guggenheim upgraded it to a buy rating with a target of $250.

Argent Trust Co grew its position in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 3.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 112,072 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,814 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co's holdings in Oracle were worth $15,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Oracle by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 38,002,902 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,332,803,000 after purchasing an additional 156,269 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Oracle by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,269,566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,892 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,350,448 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Oracle by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,046,273 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,340,830,000 after purchasing an additional 335,352 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Oracle by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,821,083 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,136,665,000 after purchasing an additional 585,560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 40,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This trade represents a 19.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $7,337,214.04. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 431,169 shares of company stock worth $82,908,609. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ORCL has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up previously from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Nine 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. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.29.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock opened at $244.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $686.59 billion, a PE ratio of 56.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.43. Oracle Corporation has a 52-week low of $118.86 and a 52-week high of $260.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The company's 50 day moving average is $213.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.85.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.08%.

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.

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