Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Key Points

• Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its holdings in Oracle Corporation by 25.6%, affecting its total shares to 96,485 and a value of $13.49 million at the end of the reporting period.
• Oracle's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $1.70, exceeding analyst expectations and marking a revenue increase of 11.3% year-over-year.
• Analysts have assigned Oracle a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $222.75, after multiple firms issued positive ratings and raised their price targets.

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 25.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,485 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 33,264 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's holdings in Oracle were worth $13,489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 284.9% in the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $244.89. The stock had a trading volume of 10,274,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,014,424. Oracle Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $118.86 and a fifty-two week high of $260.87. The firm has a market cap of $687.86 billion, a PE ratio of 56.43, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.43. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $227.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.21.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. CIBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $221.00 target price (up from $202.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, JMP Securities increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $240.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.75.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 15,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.48, for a total transaction of $4,041,142.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 99,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,247,469.76. This trade represents a 13.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 444,183 shares of company stock valued at $86,521,198. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.