Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL), salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) almost certainly will to dominate the earnings reports from technology in the week ahead. The $160 billion enterprise software giant’s streak of beating earnings has not been as robust over the past few reports, but the company is still integrating actual hardware business into what always has been a software player. Larry Ellison and the team will report quarterly earnings on Thursday, June 20, after the close of the stock market. Be advised that this is the fourth quarter and fiscal year-end earnings report, and the weak performance will not automatically set the bar artificially low. Thomson Reuters has a consensus estimate of $0.87 in earnings per share as of now, but this may change slightly in the days ahead. The revenue estimate is $11.12 billion.
Dell, Oracle make strange bedfellows (BizJournals)
Tech titans Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) and Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) are playing nice, GigaOM writer Barb Darrow wrote over the weekend. After pointing out that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison not long ago dismissed Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) as a low-end commodity box provider while he was pumping up Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) hardware, GigaOM reports that the two companies are partners in the X86 server market. Oracle Co-President Mark Hurd reportedly announced at a Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) event that the Round Rock computer maker and services provider is now a preferred x86 server partner, and Oracle is likewise a preferred enterprise infrastructure partner of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL).
Oracle Corporation (ORCL) Option Trader Counts On Rising Volatility (SchaeffersResearch)
Big price swings are not a common occurrence for Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL). In fact, the stock is perched 1.2% above breakeven for the year. The equity did experience a bearish gap in mid-March, shedding nearly 10% on the heels of a third-quarter earnings miss. However, it appears one speculator in yesterday’s session used LEAPS options to forecast heightened volatility for ORCL over the next seven months. Jumping right in… In afternoon trading, two symmetrical blocks of 2,000 contracts simultaneously changed hands at Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL)’s January 2014 36-strike call and January 2014 32-strike put.
Wedbush Reiterates Neutral Rating for Oracle (ORCL) (Zolmax)
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating restated by analysts at Wedbush in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, ARN reports. They currently have a $36.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.60% from the company’s current price. A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL). Analysts at Barclays Capital reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Oracle in a research note to investors on Thursday.
Salesforce president paid $1 million salary, $1 million bonus, plus jet use (BizJournals)
Keith Block, a former Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) executive, will be paid $1 million salary and at least $1 million as a bonus in his new job as president and vice chairman of salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM). Block, who was executive vice president of North America for Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), will get “an initial annual bonus” of $1 million, plus “such further annual bonuses as may be determined from time to time.” That’s what San Francisco-based salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM) told the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. The company will also give Block an option for 1.25 million shares of stock. And he’ll also get other perks, one of them being use of a company jet for business travel, up to 200 hours per year. If 200 hours aren’t enough, Block can request more.
