Oracle Corporation $ORCL Shares Acquired by Woodline Partners LP

Key Points

• Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in Oracle Corporation by 8.4%, holding 79,741 shares valued at approximately $11.15 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• Analysts are optimistic about Oracle, with several firms, including TD Cowen and Guggenheim, raising their price targets to $375.00 and giving the company a "buy" rating.
• Oracle recently reported a quarterly EPS of $1.70, exceeding expectations, with 11.3% year-over-year revenue growth, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share.

Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 8.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,741 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,148 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP's holdings in Oracle were worth $11,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the first quarter worth $27,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 284.9% during the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of Oracle stock traded down $15.79 on Friday, reaching $292.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 51,618,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,941,788. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $244.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $190.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The company has a market capitalization of $820.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.61, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.46. Oracle Corporation has a 52-week low of $118.86 and a 52-week high of $345.72.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. Oracle had a return on equity of 72.93% and a net margin of 21.08%.The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Oracle Corporation will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, October 9th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.30%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, Director Rona Alison Fairhead purchased 480 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $233.87 per share, for a total transaction of $112,257.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 22,110 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,170,865.70. The trade was a 2.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.99, for a total transaction of $2,329,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 40,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,507,622.93. This represents a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 44,183 shares of company stock worth $10,353,198 over the last quarter. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas set a $377.00 price objective on Oracle in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $300.00 target price on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $240.00 price target (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Oracle from $270.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $296.84.

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.