Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC Cuts Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC lessened its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,505 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,337 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for 1.5% of Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $27,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL stock opened at $160.31 on Monday. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $114.55 and a 1-year high of $198.31. The firm has a market cap of $448.39 billion, a PE ratio of 39.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $142.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ORCL shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $130.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com cut Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 over the last quarter. 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.