Zions Bancorporation N.A. Increases Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 109.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,729 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,127 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ORCL. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 89.7% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 184 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Oracle by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 213 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Oracle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 42.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Oracle Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ORCL opened at $153.59 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.44. The company has a market capitalization of $429.58 billion, a PE ratio of 37.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $112.78 and a twelve month high of $198.31.

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

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Oracle’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ORCL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on shares of Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Oracle from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.20.

Oracle 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.