Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,975,901 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after selling 47,385 shares during the period. Oracle comprises about 1.3% of Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned 0.07% of Oracle worth $329,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth 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 during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 268.4% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Polen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 22.3% during the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company's stock.

Oracle Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL traded up $4.87 on Thursday, hitting $145.59. 7,142,309 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,367,077. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $144.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $407.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $113.65 and a 12 month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. The trade was a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on ORCL. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $130.00 price target (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Oracle and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital assumed coverage on Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.42.

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.