Beddow Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Beddow Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,310 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 1,712 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 1.9% of Beddow Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Beddow Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $4,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,386,000. ZEGA Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Oracle during the 4th quarter worth $1,061,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 4th quarter valued at about $753,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Oracle by 87.1% during the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,048 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 1,419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakeshore Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in Oracle by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Lakeshore Financial Planning Inc. now owns 2,012 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $152.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $427.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Oracle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $112.78 and a fifty-two week high of $198.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $164.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.85.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. Oracle had a net margin of 21.16% and a return on equity of 133.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ORCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Oracle from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Oracle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Oracle and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,331,027.20. This trade represents a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 42.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.