Strive Asset Management LLC Makes New $1.15 Million Investment in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 6,909 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,151,000. Oracle makes up 0.9% of Strive Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth about $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,242,520 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Oracle by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,269,566,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176,892 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL traded up $1.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $158.66. 2,954,070 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,967,562. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $114.55 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The company has a market capitalization of $443.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.77, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The firm's 50-day moving average is $143.49 and its 200-day moving average is $162.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.26%. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total value of $428,552.98. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last three months. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ORCL. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

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.