Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 678 Shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Howland Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL) by 7.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,242 shares of the enterprise software provider’s stock after selling 678 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Oracle were worth $1,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Oracle in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Spartan Planning & Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Nordwand Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Oracle during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 42.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oracle Stock Performance

ORCL stock traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $142.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,245,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,618,818. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $129.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.25. Oracle Co. has a 1 year low of $99.26 and a 1 year high of $145.79. The stock has a market cap of $393.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.48, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.02.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 11th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 223.01% and a net margin of 19.76%. The business had revenue of $14.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.57 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5.01 EPS for the current year.

Oracle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. Oracle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Edward Screven sold 235,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.30, for a total transaction of $34,042,967.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,626,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,042,045.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director George H. Conrades sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.00, for a total value of $2,320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,068,976. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 812,500 shares of company stock valued at $113,578,574. Insiders own 42.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Oracle from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Mizuho raised their target price on Oracle from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Oracle in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Argus raised their target price on Oracle from $145.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Oracle from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.83.

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.