IFM Investors Pty Ltd Increases Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 334,930 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after buying an additional 750 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 0.5% of IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Oracle were worth $57,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. acquired a new position in Oracle during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Oracle during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,042,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 42.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on ORCL. Melius raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Oracle from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Melius Research raised Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Oracle from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Oracle from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.52.

Oracle Trading Up 0.6 %

Oracle stock traded up $0.99 during trading on Thursday, reaching $174.09. The company had a trading volume of 1,478,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,373,913. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $482.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.07, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a 12-month low of $99.26 and a 12-month high of $178.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $158.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.61.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.23 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 20.40% and a return on equity of 171.38%. Oracle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

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.