Wintrust Investments LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

by · The Markets Daily

Wintrust Investments LLC lessened its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL – Free Report) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,421 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 799 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Oracle by 60.7% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 357,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $59,587,000 after purchasing an additional 135,040 shares during the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden raised its position in shares of Oracle by 175.8% in the 4th quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 211,001 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,161,000 after acquiring an additional 134,500 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in Oracle by 581.8% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 136,603 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $22,764,000 after buying an additional 116,568 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 121.5% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 1,639 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 106,371 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $17,726,000 after acquiring an additional 3,581 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $151.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $166.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.49. The firm has a market cap of $422.81 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,565,931.52. The trade was a 23.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.85.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Oracle

Oracle Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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