Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Suvretta Capital Management LLC

Suvretta Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 226,318 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 10,776 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises about 1.3% of Suvretta Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Suvretta Capital Management LLC's holdings in Oracle were worth $37,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 38,002,902 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $6,332,803,000 after buying an additional 156,269 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,814,302 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,954,961,000 after buying an additional 619,619 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,366,531,000 after buying an additional 1,722,037 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Oracle by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 19,620,534 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $3,269,566,000 after buying an additional 2,176,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $160.31 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $142.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.57. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $114.55 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid 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 of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This trade represents a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ORCL. Westpark Capital began coverage on Oracle in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Fourteen investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.42.

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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