Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Holdings Trimmed by Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators

Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lessened its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,685 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 117 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 1.3% of Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ holdings in Oracle were worth $2,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth 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. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Friday, January 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 price target for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $167.92 on Friday. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $109.66 and a 52 week high of $198.31. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $168.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.02. The company has a market cap of $469.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.