Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. Takes $515,000 Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. acquired a new position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 3,686 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Oracle by 1.0% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 215,074 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $30,069,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 5.0% during the first quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,580 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 3.1% during the first quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 47,683 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $6,667,000 after purchasing an additional 1,418 shares in the last quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 1.7% in the first quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC now owns 36,646 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $5,123,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares during the period. Finally, Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 1,023.3% in the first quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 43,080 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $6,023,000 after purchasing an additional 39,245 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Oracle stock opened at $174.22 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $160.46. 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 company has a market cap of $487.29 billion, a PE ratio of 42.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research 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 was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.42.

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.