Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) Trading Down 4.8% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) fell 4.8% on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $126.95 and last traded at $130.59. 4,378,480 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 9,049,779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $137.23.

Specifically, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total transaction of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. The trade was a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Oracle presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.65.

Oracle Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $358.48 billion, a PE ratio of 31.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. 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 $160.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.34.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 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 firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oracle

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ORCL. Exeter Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Oracle by 0.7% during the first quarter. Exeter Financial LLC now owns 29,511 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $4,126,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 13,694 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $1,915,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Oracle by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC now owns 23,452 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,279,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co. grew its stake in Oracle by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 2,193 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Oracle by 30.6% during the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 30,025 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $4,198,000 after acquiring an additional 7,029 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

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.