Impax Asset Management Group plc Decreases Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Impax Asset Management Group plc decreased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,022,043 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 303,225 shares during the period. Oracle makes up approximately 1.5% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned about 0.07% of Oracle worth $336,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 89.7% in the fourth 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 during the period. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Down 4.6 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $167.92 on Monday. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $109.66 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The firm has a market cap of $469.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $168.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Oracle to a “strong-buy” 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 given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.73.

Oracle 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.