Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 8,875 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 221,984 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,875 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Oracle were worth $37,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the second quarter worth $40,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $175.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $484.01 billion, a PE ratio of 47.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $99.26 and a 12 month high of $178.61. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.15. 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 data on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Oracle from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.42.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.