Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Boosts Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,871 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after buying an additional 110 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ORCL. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Oracle by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 1,423 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Oracle by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Howard Bailey Securities LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Oracle by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,061 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $177,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Cape ANN Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Oracle by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 5,820 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $970,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $176.33 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.36. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $118.86 and a twelve month high of $198.31. 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 has a market capitalization of $493.20 billion, a PE ratio of 43.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.32.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.58 billion. Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The business’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Oracle

In related news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.77, for a total value of $648,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at $7,538,339.30. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Naomi O. Seligman sold 2,000 shares of Oracle 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 directly owns 34,630 shares in the company, valued at $5,049,400.30. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,366 shares of company stock worth $4,015,723 in the last 90 days. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stephens initiated coverage on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.78.

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.