Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Director Leon E. Panetta Sells 17,500 Shares

Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) Director Leon E. Panetta sold 17,500 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,785,531.60. This represents a 23.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Oracle Stock Performance

NYSE:ORCL opened at $150.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $420.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.77, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.27. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $114.55 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $142.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.20.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. This is a positive change from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Oracle by 5.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,416,362 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $411,748,000 after acquiring an additional 121,874 shares during the last quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC grew its position in Oracle by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Burkett Financial Services LLC now owns 1,328 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. lifted its holdings in Oracle by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 173,290 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $28,877,000 after acquiring an additional 5,084 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. grew its position in Oracle by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 1,564 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Oracle by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 75,417 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $12,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ORCL. Mizuho lowered their price target on Oracle from $210.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of Oracle in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Citigroup cut their price objective on Oracle from $194.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 target price on Oracle and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Oracle in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.42.

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.