Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) is WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc.’s 4th Largest Position

WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 77,705 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Oracle comprises 4.0% of WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $10,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Warther Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Howard Bailey Securities LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Oracle by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Cape ANN Savings Bank increased its stake in Oracle by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 5,820 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $970,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Thursday. Stephens started coverage on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oracle

In other news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,866 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.53, for a total transaction of $428,552.98. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,764 shares in the company, valued at $4,749,670.92. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723. Corporate insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Price Performance

NYSE:ORCL opened at $174.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $487.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.60, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company’s 50-day moving average is $147.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.67. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $118.86 and a 12-month high of $198.31.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

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.