Prudential PLC Raises Holdings in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)

Key Points

• Prudential PLC has increased its stake in Oracle Corporation by 2.2% in Q1, now owning 180,460 shares valued at approximately $25.2 million.
• Analyst ratings for Oracle vary, with nine analysts assigning a hold rating, while twenty-three suggest buying, and a consensus price target set at $222.75.
• Oracle recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.8% and a payout ratio of 46.08%.

Prudential PLC boosted its stake in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 2.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 180,460 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,868 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $25,230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 284.9% during the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, insider Michael D. Sicilia sold 15,880 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.48, for a total value of $4,041,142.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 99,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,247,469.76. The trade was a 13.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This represents a 19.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 444,183 shares of company stock valued at $86,521,198 in the last three months. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $195.00 price target (up previously from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Oracle from $215.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $222.75.

Oracle Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:ORCL traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $253.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,996,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,145,522. Oracle Corporation has a 1 year low of $118.86 and a 1 year high of $260.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $226.06 and a 200-day moving average of $178.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $712.15 billion, a PE ratio of 58.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.43. 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 (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

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

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.