Dnca Finance Invests $17.03 Million in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Dnca Finance purchased a new stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 102,211 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock, valued at approximately $17,032,000. Oracle accounts for about 1.3% of Dnca Finance’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ORCL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,216,314,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $930,095,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,069 shares during the period. Polen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Oracle by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 10,723,731 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $1,787,003,000 after buying an additional 1,955,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 11.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 18,480,384 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $3,370,640,000 after buying an additional 1,917,416 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock worth $454,439,851. Company insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Westpark Capital initiated coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their target price on Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.73.

Oracle Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of ORCL opened at $128.56 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $166.34. 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 company has a market capitalization of $359.58 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $112.78 and a 52-week high of $198.31.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its 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). The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.95%.

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.