Cobblestone Capital Advisors Cuts Stake in Oracle Co.

Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY has reduced its holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. This reduction was reported in their latest Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. After selling 1,670 shares, Cobblestone now owns 10,952 shares of Oracle, amounting to a value of approximately $1,825,000 as of the end of the last quarter.

In addition to Cobblestone, other institutional investors have also adjusted their stakes in Oracle. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in the software provider by 11.6% in the third quarter, owning 18,480,384 shares valued at $3,370,640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,917,416 shares. State Street Corp also grew its investment in Oracle by 2.7%, holding 70,441,556 shares worth $12,003,241,000 after a purchase of 1,847,561 shares.

Proficio Capital Partners LLC made a significant increase of 3,805.0% in its Oracle holdings in the fourth quarter, now owning 966,571 shares valued at $161,069,000 after purchasing an additional 941,819 shares. Similarly, Jennison Associates LLC raised its ownership by 279.7% during the same period, resulting in 1,210,745 shares valued at $201,759,000, following an additional purchase of 891,842 shares.

Geode Capital Management LLC also raised its position in Oracle by 2.6% in the third quarter, with a total of 35,194,683 shares worth $5,977,015,000 after acquiring 885,041 shares. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 42.44% of Oracle stock.

Oracle Stock Performance

The stock for Oracle opened at $166.09 recently, with a one-year range showing a low of $110.36 and a high of $198.31. The company's market capitalization stands at $464.55 billion. Financial ratios include a PE ratio of 40.61 and a P/E/G ratio of 3.46, indicating its valuation metrics. The current and quick ratios for Oracle are both at 0.81, while the debt-to-equity ratio is notably high at 5.65. The stock's 50-day and 200-day moving averages are $168.93 and $168.36, respectively.

Recent Earnings Report

Oracle last released its quarterly earnings data on December 9th, reporting earnings per share of $1.47, slightly below the consensus estimate of $1.48. The revenue for the quarter reached $14.06 billion, falling short of the anticipated $14.12 billion. Compared to the same quarter last year, where earnings were reported at $1.34 per share, Oracle's revenue grew 8.6% year-over-year.

Dividend Announcement

Recently, Oracle declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, which was paid out on January 9th. Shareholders on record as of January 23rd received this dividend, resulting in an annualized dividend of $1.60 and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date was January 10th. Oracle's dividend payout ratio is at 39.12%.

Analyst Insights

Several research firms have weighed in on Oracle’s stock lately. For example, Monness Crespi & Hardt downgraded Oracle's shares from a "neutral" to a "sell" rating with a target price set at $130.00. On the contrary, Guggenheim increased its target from $200.00 to $220.00, giving Oracle a "buy" rating. Meanwhile, BMO Capital Markets raised its target price from $173.00 to $205.00 with a "market perform" recommendation.

Royal Bank of Canada maintained a "sector perform" rating with a $165.00 price target, while KeyCorp adjusted its target from $190.00 to $200.00 and rated Oracle as "overweight." Overall, no analysts have rated the stock as a sell, with 11 holding a neutral stance and 18 recommending a buy. Currently, Oracle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $182.73.

Insider Trading Activity

In related news, CEO Safra Catz sold 345,174 shares of Oracle on January 24th for an average price of $185.56, totaling about $64 million. Following this sale, Catz possesses approximately 1,118,592 shares in the company. This transaction represents a decrease of 23.58% in her holdings. Notably, about 42.20% of Oracle stock is owned by insiders.

About Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation is a global provider of products and services focused on enterprise information technology. The company is well-known for its cloud SaaS offerings, which encompass various applications including enterprise resource planning (ERP), performance management, and human capital management among others.

Oracle, Investment, Shares