Quadrant Capital Group LLC Cuts Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Quadrant Capital Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,573 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 2,054 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for approximately 0.4% of Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $6,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 89.7% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 129.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This trade represents 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 this hyperlink. Also, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,448,328 shares of company stock worth $453,791,001. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ORCL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.65.

Oracle Stock Down 6.6 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $128.17 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $160.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.34. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The firm has a market cap of $358.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.34, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Oracle’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

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

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.