Swedbank AB Sells 190,179 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Swedbank AB decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,162,773 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 190,179 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Oracle were worth $360,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position 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 during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new stake in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of ORCL traded down $2.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $161.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,385,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,768,888. The company’s 50 day moving average is $173.36 and its 200 day moving average is $163.03. The stock has a market cap of $452.13 billion, a PE ratio of 39.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.06. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $106.51 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 EPS for the current fiscal 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 0.99%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

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.