Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Cuts Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI reduced its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 977,484 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 146,785 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 1.3% of Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI's holdings in Oracle were worth $162,888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Requisite Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC now owns 2,240 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Oracle by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Oracle by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 5,447 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Bailey Securities LLC grew its position in Oracle by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

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

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $157.27. 7,588,344 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,483,905. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $143.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.32. The company has a market cap of $439.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $114.55 and a 12-month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

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.