Westpac Banking Corp decreased its stake in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 57.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,242 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 16,221 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Oracle were worth $1,712,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC grew its position in Oracle by 1.7% during the first quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 4,333 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $606,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 4.6% during the first quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Oracle by 14.9% during the first quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 4.8% during the first quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. now owns 1,562 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.
Oracle Stock Up 0.3%
Shares of ORCL stock traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $244.89. 10,274,959 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,014,424. Oracle Corporation has a 1 year low of $118.86 and a 1 year high of $260.87. The company's 50 day moving average is $227.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.07. The firm has a market cap of $687.86 billion, a PE ratio of 56.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.43.
Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 87.34% and a net margin of 21.68%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current year.
Oracle Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.08%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 3,303 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.32, for a total value of $770,655.96. Following the sale, the director owned 31,447 shares in the company, valued at $7,337,214.04. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 444,183 shares of company stock worth $86,521,198 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Oracle from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Oracle from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Oracle from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $222.75.
Get Our Latest Research Report on ORCL
About Oracle
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading

Before you consider Oracle, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Oracle wasn't on the list.
While Oracle currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Enter your email address and we'll send you MarketBeat's list of seven best retirement stocks and why they should be in your portfolio.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.