Choate Investment Advisors Acquires 2,833 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Choate Investment Advisors increased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,282 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,833 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Oracle were worth $6,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Diversified Enterprises LLC boosted its stake in Oracle by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC now owns 3,662 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the period. Harbour Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $239,000. Family Firm Inc. boosted its stake in Oracle by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Family Firm Inc. now owns 1,569 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the period. Copperwynd Financial LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $1,450,000. Finally, Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth $650,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL opened at $149.36 on Friday. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. 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 $417.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $165.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.63.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.56, for a total value of $64,050,487.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,565,931.52. This represents a 23.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.71.

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.