Everence Capital Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Everence Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 64,842 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 12,440 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 0.7% of Everence Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $10,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,620,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 31,465 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,501 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co of the South lifted its holdings in Oracle by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 2,736 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

NYSE:ORCL traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $166.28. The stock had a trading volume of 1,993,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,588,938. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The stock has a market cap of $465.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.90. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $102.13 and a 12-month high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ORCL. Mizuho upped their price target on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius upgraded shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.48.

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.