Yacktman Asset Management LP Sells 474,303 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Yacktman Asset Management LP reduced its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 73.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 172,652 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 474,303 shares during the period. Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings in Oracle were worth $28,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 5.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $411,748,000 after purchasing an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 383.4% in the 4th quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,155 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,675 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 24.8% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $27,428,000 after acquiring an additional 32,718 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,800,000. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,160,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $178.97 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $500.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $170.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.68. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $106.51 and a 12 month high of $198.31. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.73.

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.