24,855 Shares in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Bought by GKV Capital Management Co. Inc.

GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 24,855 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,142,000. Oracle comprises 1.7% of GKV Capital Management Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $1,787,003,000 after buying an additional 1,955,764 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 11.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,370,640,000 after buying an additional 1,917,416 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. Mizuho decreased their target price on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $176.73.

Oracle Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE ORCL traded down $6.46 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $122.16. 4,140,470 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,305,244. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $150.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.33. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The stock has a market cap of $341.68 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 a total of 2,453,328 shares of company stock valued at $454,439,851 in the last quarter. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.