Argyle Capital Management LLC Has $3.91 Million Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,440 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises about 1.5% of Argyle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Argyle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $3,906,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL opened at $164.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $460.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.27, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.05. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $110.36 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The business has a 50 day moving average of $169.00 and a 200-day moving average of $168.13.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was 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 owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,565,931.52. This trade represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Oracle to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Oracle from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.73.

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.