Guardian Capital Advisors LP Sells 8,518 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Guardian Capital Advisors LP trimmed its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,330 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 8,518 shares during the period. Guardian Capital Advisors LP's holdings in Oracle were worth $6,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 2.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 9,346 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $990,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 4.7% in the third quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 21,380 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,265,000 after buying an additional 957 shares during the period. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the third quarter valued at approximately $402,000. Abbrea Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 2.2% in the third quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC now owns 66,497 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $7,043,000 after purchasing an additional 1,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 0.5% in the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 22,709 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,405,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Up 3.9 %

Oracle stock traded up $4.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $120.88. The stock had a trading volume of 17,795,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,168,072. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $96.92 and a 12 month high of $132.77. The company has a market capitalization of $332.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.89, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $120.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $13.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.29 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 336.11% and a net margin of 20.27%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.96 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In related news, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $5,298,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 87,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,299,071.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 17,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,068,976. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.74, for a total value of $5,298,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 87,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,299,071.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 880,000 shares of company stock valued at $110,488,150. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Argus upgraded Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Oracle in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Oracle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.76.

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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