Oracle Corporation $ORCL Stock Holdings Decreased by Exeter Financial LLC

Exeter Financial LLC lowered its position in Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,414 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 4,505 shares during the period. Oracle comprises approximately 2.4% of Exeter Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Exeter Financial LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $5,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 164,278,874 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,916,290,000 after purchasing an additional 3,353,461 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Oracle by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 73,459,391 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $16,060,427,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252,723 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Oracle in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,275,378,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 13,884,524 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,941,195,000 after buying an additional 59,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Oracle by 3.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 12,736,855 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,749,280,000 after buying an additional 409,691 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $188.52 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $541.65 billion, a PE ratio of 35.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.66. Oracle Corporation has a 1 year low of $118.86 and a 1 year high of $345.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $241.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $242.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.62. Oracle had a return on equity of 70.60% and a net margin of 25.28%.The firm had revenue of $16.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Oracle Corporation will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 37.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey Berg sold 49,365 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.02, for a total value of $13,971,282.30. Following the sale, the director directly owned 151,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,018,756.98. This represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stuart Levey sold 19,758 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $5,927,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,429 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,528,700. The trade was a 51.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 155,190 shares of company stock valued at $45,279,001. 40.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on ORCL. Melius Research raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $270.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $350.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Oracle from $364.00 to $339.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $382.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised Oracle to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.92.

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.