Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Grows Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 76.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,202,098 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 519,479 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s holdings in Oracle were worth $150,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Nordwand Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp purchased a new position in Oracle during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL traded up $1.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $139.01. 5,139,377 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,701,505. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $99.26 and a 1 year high of $146.59. The business has a 50 day moving average of $135.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.49, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. The firm had revenue of $14.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 11th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total transaction of $2,903,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,071,294.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $2,320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,068,976. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 25,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.13, for a total transaction of $2,903,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,071,294.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,952,500 shares of company stock worth $277,298,174. Insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $159.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Oracle from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.83.

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.