Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Position Lowered by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,248,999 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 197,527 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises approximately 0.7% of Natixis Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of Oracle worth $374,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbour Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Family Firm Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Family Firm Inc. now owns 1,569 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Copperwynd Financial LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $1,450,000. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $650,000. Finally, Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $2,200,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.71.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $149.36 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $417.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $165.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.41. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

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.