Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Acquired by GPM Growth Investors Inc.

GPM Growth Investors Inc. boosted its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,130 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,352 shares during the period. Oracle makes up about 2.5% of GPM Growth Investors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. GPM Growth Investors Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $5,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Sandy Spring Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 78,049 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $8,229,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 5,986 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Quantum Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth $229,000. Cooper Financial Group increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 43.4% in the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 5,038 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $171,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Trading Down 2.3 %

ORCL traded down $2.63 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $113.86. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,277,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,362,203. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $93.85 and a 52-week high of $132.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $119.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.34. The firm has a market cap of $312.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.74, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.01.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.29 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 336.11%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 10th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.22%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 790,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total transaction of $99,966,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $141,546,631.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. KeyCorp started coverage on Oracle in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Oracle in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Oracle from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.76.

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.