Nuveen Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,252,953 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 329,416 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.30% of Oracle worth $1,375,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 201.7% in the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,599 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $27,428,000 after acquiring an additional 32,718 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,800,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in shares of Oracle by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 564,030 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $93,990,000 after acquiring an additional 163,543 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $20,346,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.42.

Oracle Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $160.31. 8,495,670 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,479,850. The firm has a market capitalization of $448.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.20, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The business's fifty day moving average price is $142.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $114.55 and a twelve month high of $198.31.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.