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

Barton Investment Management cut its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 9.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,585 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 690 shares during the quarter. Barton Investment Management’s holdings in Oracle were worth $921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its position 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 buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $174.22 on Friday. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $118.86 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The company 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.67.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 46.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.81, for a total value of $291,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,646,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. The trade was a 23.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock valued at $4,015,723 over the last ninety days. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.