Meritage Portfolio Management Acquires 234 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Meritage Portfolio Management increased its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,844 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Oracle were worth $641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE ORCL opened at $171.52 on Thursday. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $106.51 and a 12 month high of $198.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. The company has a market capitalization of $479.73 billion, a PE ratio of 41.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 23rd were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.12%.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 42.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ORCL shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Oracle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Oracle from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho raised their price target on Oracle from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Oracle from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.