Vest Financial LLC Grows Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 65.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,567 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after acquiring an additional 18,824 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $6,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $930,095,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 15,012.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,755,096 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $664,810,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723,631 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 2,350,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock traded up $3.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $174.22. 6,828,176 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,518,460. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $147.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.67. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $118.86 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $487.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.60, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. 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 dividend yield of 1.15%. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson cut their price target on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other Oracle 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last three months. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Oracle 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.