Artemis Investment Management LLP Boosts Stock Position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 179.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 579,503 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after buying an additional 372,057 shares during the quarter. Oracle comprises 1.5% of Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Oracle were worth $98,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Oracle during the first quarter worth about $25,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oracle during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oracle in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oracle Trading Up 2.6 %

NYSE ORCL opened at $174.43 on Wednesday. Oracle Co. has a 12 month low of $99.26 and a 12 month high of $174.64. The company has a market capitalization of $483.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.68, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $148.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.53.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 9th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $13.31 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on ORCL shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Oracle from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Oracle from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Melius Research upgraded Oracle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. JMP Securities raised Oracle from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Oracle from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Oracle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $167.42.

Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total value of $2,068,350.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,010,030.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Maria Smith sold 6,320 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were 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 directly owns 42,889 shares in the company, valued at $7,076,685. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Leon E. Panetta sold 15,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.89, for a total transaction of $2,068,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 58,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,010,030.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,146,320 shares of company stock valued at $164,762,400 in the last ninety days. 42.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.