Guild Investment Management Inc. Cuts Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Guild Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 5.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,606 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 494 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for about 1.6% of Guild Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Guild Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the first quarter worth $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the second quarter valued at $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of ORCL traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $176.04. The company had a trading volume of 1,729,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,514,284. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $150.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.43. The stock has a market cap of $487.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.29, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $99.26 and a 52 week high of $178.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The business had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 41.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ORCL. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total transaction of $2,068,350.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,010,030.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,146,320 shares of company stock worth $164,762,400. 42.20% 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.