Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC Purchases Shares of 6,219 Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,219 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,036,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $930,095,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 20.5% during the fourth 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 valued at $2,303,858,000 after buying an additional 2,350,448 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Oracle by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,231,127,000 after buying an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 268.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $512,909,000 after buying an additional 2,242,520 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $157.28 on Thursday. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $114.55 and a one year high of $198.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $143.49 and a 200 day moving average of $162.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $439.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.46, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Westpark Capital began coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

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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