UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,825,360 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,350,448 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 0.5% of UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.49% of Oracle worth $2,303,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on ORCL shares. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Oracle Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ORCL traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $157.27. 7,588,344 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,499,021. The stock has a market cap of $439.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.45, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $162.32. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $114.55 and a 1-year high of $198.31. 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 released 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). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

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.