Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by Palisade Asset Management LLC

Palisade Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 189,520 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,960 shares during the period. Oracle comprises about 3.2% of Palisade Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Palisade Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $32,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle by 4.2% during the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 344,701 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $58,737,000 after purchasing an additional 13,782 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 30.5% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 885,270 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $150,850,000 after buying an additional 206,691 shares in the last quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at $479,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 20,026 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,412,000 after buying an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certified Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 4,517 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $192.29 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $175.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $532.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.56, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.02. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $99.26 and a 52 week high of $196.04.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. The trade was a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. JMP Securities raised 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. Mizuho upped their price target on Oracle from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.52.

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.