Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Stake Lowered by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 175,558 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 4,151 shares during the quarter. Oracle makes up about 1.9% of Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $29,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 7,750 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,289 shares during the period. Holderness Investments Co. boosted its position in Oracle by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Holderness Investments Co. now owns 50,081 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $8,345,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. BluePointe Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $394,000. Finally, Kampmann Melissa S. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 200.2% during the 4th quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 7,190 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,198,000 after purchasing an additional 4,795 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were 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 owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE:ORCL opened at $152.78 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $164.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.77. The firm has a market cap of $427.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.35, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. 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 Co. has a one year low of $112.78 and a one year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its 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 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on ORCL. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.20.

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.