Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Position Lessened by Bellwether Advisors LLC

Bellwether Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 9.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,688 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 8,355 shares during the period. Oracle makes up approximately 2.3% of Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $12,613,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in Oracle by 268.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,077,947 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $512,909,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $1,787,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955,764 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ORCL has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens initiated coverage on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital assumed coverage on Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.42.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL stock traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $140.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,354,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,375,498. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $145.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.44. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $113.65 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $393.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was 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 directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

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.