Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Cuts Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. cut its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,385 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 783 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $5,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Oracle stock opened at $153.59 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $429.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.44.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted 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 net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

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.