Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Global Trust Asset Management LLC

Global Trust Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,780 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 204 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 6.9% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 95,803 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $13,527,000 after acquiring an additional 6,215 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Oracle by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 41,745 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,894,000 after buying an additional 1,377 shares during the last quarter. Interval Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth approximately $819,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 4.2% in the second quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 49,800 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $7,032,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 19.5% in the second quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,890 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 1,126 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Up 7.3 %

ORCL stock opened at $172.82 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $174.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.90. The company has a market capitalization of $483.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.06. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $106.51 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $173.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.73.

Oracle Company 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.