Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC cut its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,236,417 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 372,534 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for 1.2% of Janus Henderson Group PLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.51% of Oracle worth $2,372,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ORCL shares. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Oracle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock traded up $3.41 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $160.63. The company had a trading volume of 1,374,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,110,164. The company has a market capitalization of $449.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $142.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.76. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $114.55 and a 12-month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion for 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,749,670.92. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $7,538,339.30. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle 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.