Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 53.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 118,478 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after buying an additional 41,087 shares during the period. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $12,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE increased its stake in Oracle by 298.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 243 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1,268.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 342 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $116.66. The stock had a trading volume of 4,122,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,103,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $320.64 billion, a PE ratio of 30.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.03. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $96.33 and a twelve month high of $132.77.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. Oracle had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 336.11%. The company had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Oracle's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on ORCL shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. William Blair upgraded Oracle from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Finally, HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $144.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $99,966,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $99,966,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $141,546,631.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $2,320,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,068,976. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 880,000 shares of company stock valued at $110,488,150. 42.80% of the stock is 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.

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