Empower Advisory Group LLC Cuts Stake in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Empower Advisory Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,685 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,240 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $3,354,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter worth about $27,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

Shares of ORCL opened at $189.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $525.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $169.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. Oracle Co. has a one year low of $99.26 and a one year high of $191.77.

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

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Oracle’s payout ratio is 41.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ORCL shares. Barclays raised their price target on Oracle from $160.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Oracle from $160.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Oracle from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,042,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,076,685. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.