Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Wesleyan Assurance Society

Wesleyan Assurance Society decreased its stake in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 135,769 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for about 1.4% of Wesleyan Assurance Society's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Wesleyan Assurance Society's holdings in Oracle were worth $18,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 284.9% during the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 40,807 shares in the company, valued at $9,507,622.93. The trade was a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 448,669 shares of company stock valued at $85,555,309. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $180.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Oracle from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Oracle from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Oracle from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $218.29.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL traded down $5.17 on Tuesday, hitting $238.37. 11,355,365 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,382,317. Oracle Corporation has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $251.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $196.21 and a 200-day moving average of $168.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $669.53 billion, a PE ratio of 54.92, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 1.39.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 21.68% and a return on equity of 87.34%. The business had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.08%.

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.