Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Sold by IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,241 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 12,278 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for approximately 1.5% of IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in Oracle were worth $12,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 12.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,366,000 after buying an additional 883 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Oracle by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after acquiring an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 11,430 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 16.8% in the third quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cadence Bank lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 0.8% in the third quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 7,605 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,296,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Down 4.0 %

NYSE ORCL opened at $147.71 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market cap of $413.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.12, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $164.62 and a 200-day moving average of $170.28. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $112.78 and a 1-year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Oracle and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.20.

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.