Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $1.87 Million Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Heartland Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,202 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 376 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ORCL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,787,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,955,764 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Oracle by 11.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,370,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917,416 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE ORCL opened at $140.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $393.67 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.12. Oracle Co. has a 52 week low of $112.78 and a 52 week high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

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 transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on ORCL shares. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens started coverage on Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen equities 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.20.

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.