Barton Investment Management Lowers Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Barton Investment Management reduced its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 9.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,585 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 690 shares during the period. Barton Investment Management’s holdings in Oracle were worth $921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Oracle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th 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. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,646,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 in the last three months. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Oracle Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $174.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $487.29 billion, a PE ratio of 42.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $198.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $147.20 and a 200 day moving average of $160.67.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Westpark Capital started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $195.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Oracle from $205.00 to $175.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.42.

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.