Oracle Flies Past Targets & Taking Share (ORCL, SAP, IBM)

Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) just posted earnings.  Its GAAP EPS was $0.25 but non-GAAP was $0.31 EPS on revenues of $5.3 Billion.  First Call had estimates at $0.27 non-GAAP EPS on revenues of $5.04 Billion.  Look at these metrics individually:
  • software license revenues up 35%, the strongest growth of any quarter in ten years,
  • software license sales up 38%
  • applications new license sales grew 63% compared to SAP’s new license sales growth rate of 15%
QUOTES FROM OFFICERS:
  • Charles Phillips, president, said, "We like our growth strategy of expanding beyond ERP into high-end industry specific vertical software in contrast to SAP’s strategy of moving down market to sell ERP systems to small companies."
  • CEO Larry Ellison said, "Our database and middleware new license sales grew 28% in Q2. We continue to take market share from IBM in both product categories."
While the earnings guidance is not yet out, this last quarter was a phenomenal report and it is really hard to call anything bad so far.  When it offers guidance, First call has next quarter’s estimates at $0.29 EPS and $5.19 Billion in revenues and it has fiscal May 2008 shows estimates at $1.22 EPS on almost $21.5 Billion.
Oracle’s stock closed down 2.3% at $20.76 today, and shares are at $21.70 in after-hours trading.  The 52-week trading range is $15.97 to $23.00.
Jon C. Ogg
December 19, 2007
Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he produces the SPECIAL SITUATION newsletter and he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

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