The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 198,797 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its position in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,679,157 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 198,797 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.13% of Oracle worth $613,095,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position 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 in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oracle Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $138.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $146.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.85. Oracle Co. has a 52-week low of $113.65 and a 52-week high of $198.31. The stock has a market cap of $387.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ORCL shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Oracle from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 42.20% 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.