Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Holdings Lowered by Ascent Wealth Partners LLC

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,153 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 166 shares during the period. Oracle makes up about 1.6% of Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $11,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Oracle by 1.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,213,890 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $18,993,977,000 after buying an additional 1,514,569 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in Oracle by 0.4% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 18,466,713 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,319,604,000 after buying an additional 82,551 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Oracle by 2.3% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 13,242,340 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,869,816,000 after buying an additional 296,866 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Oracle by 148.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 7,699,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Oracle by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,318,962 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,033,430,000 after purchasing an additional 424,500 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL stock traded up $0.56 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $181.80. The stock had a trading volume of 89,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,248,049. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $99.26 and a one year high of $182.10. The firm has a market cap of $503.78 billion, a PE ratio of 46.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of several research reports. Guggenheim upped their target price on Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. JMP Securities upped their target price on Oracle from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays upped their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.