Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Sells 19,507 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lessened its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 538,854 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 19,507 shares during the period. Oracle accounts for approximately 2.1% of Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Oracle were worth $89,795,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its holdings in Oracle by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock opened at $170.00 on Tuesday. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $109.79 and a one year high of $198.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $168.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $167.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $475.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.56, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.05.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ORCL. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Oracle to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

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 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 represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle 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.