Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Position Lifted by Chicago Capital LLC

Chicago Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 66,147 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,456 shares during the quarter. Chicago Capital LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $11,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $169.91 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.41. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $106.51 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $475.24 billion, a PE ratio of 41.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORCL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Friday, January 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $214.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.