Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) is Boston Partners’ 6th Largest Position

Boston Partners lessened its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,303,760 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,040,042 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 1.3% of Boston Partners’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Boston Partners owned about 0.23% of Oracle worth $1,055,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at about $12,595,000. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 58,254 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $9,707,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 62,879 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $10,452,000 after buying an additional 14,202 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 174.8% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 254,240 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $42,632,000 after buying an additional 161,725 shares during the period. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 17,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $2,930,000 after buying an additional 1,493 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total transaction of $64,050,487.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $154.01 on Tuesday. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $165.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $430.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $112.78 and a twelve month high of $198.31.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Twelve 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.71.

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.