First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Grows Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 6.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,402 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,839 shares during the quarter. Oracle makes up approximately 0.6% of First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $10,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ORCL. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 148.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 12,872,300 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,616,855,000 after acquiring an additional 7,699,141 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Oracle by 131.2% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,911,201 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $552,262,000 after purchasing an additional 2,219,450 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Oracle by 97.4% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,242,647 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $532,920,000 after purchasing an additional 2,093,893 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Oracle by 16,023.4% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,065,083 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $351,890,000 after purchasing an additional 2,052,275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 5,853.1% during the second quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 1,552,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $219,224,000 after buying an additional 1,526,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE:ORCL traded up $1.25 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $174.68. 1,399,729 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,288,393. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. The firm has a market cap of $484.05 billion, a PE ratio of 45.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $99.26 and a twelve month high of $178.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $161.53 and its 200-day moving average is $141.16.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. The firm had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. DA Davidson raised their target price on Oracle from $105.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com cut Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Oracle from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.52.

Oracle 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.