Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Shares Acquired by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,063 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,123 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $2,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $172.37 on Thursday. 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 $482.11 billion, a PE ratio of 42.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $169.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.15. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $109.79 and a 1 year high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.01). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total transaction of $389,448,893.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ORCL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Oracle to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $157.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.