West Family Investments Inc. Cuts Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

West Family Investments Inc. decreased its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,515 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 163 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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 purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Down 6.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $150.69 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $167.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.97. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $111.18 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $421.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

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.