Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Acquires New Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 13,200 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,200,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $149.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $417.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.52, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company 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.