Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Acquires 62,777 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 163.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,189 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,777 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $16,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Oracle by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Oracle by 129.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total transaction of $648,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,453,328 shares of company stock valued at $454,439,851 over the last quarter. 42.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Oracle Price Performance

ORCL stock opened at $128.56 on Friday. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $112.78 and a 1 year high of $198.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $359.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $166.33.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s payout ratio is 46.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ORCL. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Oracle from $200.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Westpark Capital assumed coverage on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.73.

About Oracle

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.