Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Stock Position Lessened by First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 97,750 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 3,050 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 3.3% of First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $16,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 5.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $411,748,000 after buying an additional 121,874 shares during the period. RMR Wealth Builders raised its stake in Oracle by 383.4% during the fourth quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,155 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,192,000 after purchasing an additional 5,675 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 164,593 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $27,428,000 after purchasing an additional 32,718 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,800,000. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp purchased a new position in Oracle during the third quarter worth approximately $4,160,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of ORCL stock opened at $178.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $500.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a 1-year low of $106.51 and a 1-year high of $198.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $170.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $164.68.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.12 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson increased their price target 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. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded shares of Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.73.

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.