Stories related to: Oracle

The markets fell today on weak news from the tech and financial sectors. The Dow dropped 120.16 points to 12,302.7, the Nasdaq fell 43.53 to 2,280.83, and the S&P closed down 15.36 at 1,325.77, MarketWatch reports. Disappointing results from bellwethers Oracle and Google sent techs downward, and Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, and JP Morgan also had bearish news. More »

Oracle missed its third-quarter revenue projections yesterday and investor reaction was swift and dramatic: shares of the software maker dropped 8% in after-hours trading, reports the Wall Street Journal . This despite the fact that Oracle’s profits rose 30% to $1.34 billion, 26 cents per share, from $1.03 billion, 20 cents per share a year ago. Revenue rose 21% to $5.35 billion, short of analysts’ $5.42 billion expectations. More »

Recent acquisitions by Sun Microsystems and Oracle could be the opening round of new Silicon Valley deal-making, the Wall Street Journal reports, as tech companies worried about a US economic slowdown seek to strengthen their positions. Smaller companies struggling to stay afloat are tempting targets; bigger fish also want to invest in building web-based software and services—a still-growing sector. More »

Business software maker Oracle continued its yearlong buying spree, closing a contentious deal with middleware maker BEA Systems after raising its offer to $8.5 billion, or $19.38 a share, Bloomberg reports. In October, Oracle offered BEA $6.7 billion, or $17 per share, and was rejected. Instead BEA, one of the Silicon Valley's last midsize independents, demanded what Oracle termed an "impossibly high" $21. More »

On-demand software vendor NetSuite has doubled the price on its IPO after a Dutch-auction-style bidding war over the past two days saw investor interest surge. After originally pricing the offering at $13-$16, NetSuite bumped it to $16-$19 Tuesday and then $19-$22 yesterday. Late last night the company set a target at $26 for today’s sale, MarketWatch reports. More »

Database software-maker Oracle surprised analysts today, reporting its income surged 35 percent in the second quarter to $1.3 billion, thanks to the success of new programs and customer-support contracts. Experts had expected sales of approximately $5.03 billion, Bloomberg reports, but the company boasted sales of $5.36 billion—pulling in a profit of 25 cents per share. More »

On-demand software company NetSuite goes public this week with an offering likely to draw the bulk of attention in an otherwise quiet finale for IPOs. Only three firms will go to market, compared to eight in last year’s final week. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s NetSuite hopes to raise $100 million, despite never having been profitable, reports the Wall Street Journal. More »

The IPO for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s ‘software-as-a-service’ company, Netsuite, is gearing up as the company set an initial price range yesterday of $13 to $16 a share for 6.2 million shares planned for release, News.com reports, a 10% stake. Netsuite hopes to raise $99.2 million in the IPO, which is planned for December 21st, giving it a valuation of close to $1 billion. More »

“We are the Switzerland of these heterogenous environments,” a Hewlett-Packard exec said by way of explaining why his company is not interested in acquiring BEA, after BEA rejected an offer from Oracle as too low. HP is a partner of BEA’s, the company's software chief said, but HP has similar relationships with BEA rivals. More »

BEA Systems reported earnings up 59% in the third quarter yesterday, in the first audited quarterly statements released in over a year. The San Jose-based company's financials have been held up by a reporting dispute with the SEC. BEA hopes the higher-than-expected results will boost its case that the company is worth more than the Oracle bid of $17 a share it rejected, the San Jose Mercury News reports. More »

Oracle’s $25-billion, three-year shopping spree won’t include rival BEA Systems, at least not at the $17 a share it offered last month, reports the San Jose Mercury News . BEA spurned the nearly $6.7-billion bid, demanding $21 a share. “If their goal was to stay independent, I think they're doing a good job,” CEO Larry Ellison said. More »

IBM will buy Cognos for $5 billion, the latest in a rash of “business intelligence” software acquisitions. The move could help IBM keep up with SAP AG and Oracle, each of which recently teamed with similar companies, the AP reports. The purchase price is a 9% premium over Cognos’ Friday close; both companies’ stocks rose on the news. More »

The CEO of Oracle sold off half a billion dollars of stock, but analysts contend that the liquidation shouldn't worry investors. Markets noticed when Larry Ellison sold 26 million shares of the software company he founded in 1977. But the Wall Street Journal writes that past sell-offs haven't triggered broad declines - and Ellison plans to unload another 76 million shares in coming months. More »

Having held out on a time-sensitive $6.7 billion offer from Oracle, BEA Systems management now faces a charge to oust them by billionaire shareholder Carl Icahn, who wields a massive 13.2% stake in the company, the AP reports. BEA says it will not entertain any offer that values it at less than $21 per share -- Oracle offered $17 per share — but to appease Icahn it hinted at other possible buyers. More »

Software mogul Oracle made good today on its threat to drop a $6.7 billion offer to buy BEA systems, after the latter failed to meet the October 28 deadline. Oracle said BEA shareholders should "not assume" it will renew the offer, though it did not rule out the possibility, either, if shareholders were to force the company's hand, the Financial Times writes. More »

The board of BEA Systems responded to a time-sensitive takeover offer from Oracle today, valuing itself at $8.2 billion—fully $1.5 billion more than the database giant's bid. Oracle’s $17-a-share offer, now two weeks old, will expire on Sunday evening if BEA doesn’t act on it. But the fiercely independent middleware company says a sale at that figure simply isn’t in its “best interests,” the Journal reports. More »

Software giant Oracle is growing impatient as it attempts to take over BEA Systems, a smaller and fiercely independent tech organization. Oracle offered on Oct. 9 to buy BEA for $6.7 billion, or $17 a share, which BEA considers too low. But the company hasn't  formally rejected the offer, and now Oracle has issued an ultimatum: sign by Sunday or the deal is off, reports the Wall Street Journal. More »

Software maker BEA Systems is under pressure from shareholder Carl Icahn to sell, but executives say this week’s $6.7 billion offer by Oracle is too low. Icahn agreed the unsolicited bid wasn’t good enough but said he was pleased an offer was made, the New York Times reports. Analysts expect Oracle to raise its offer and get BEA. More »

Stocks climbed again today, closing out the biggest weekly gain since March. The Dow rose 53.49 to 13,820.19, the Nasdaq climbed 16.93 to 2,671.22, and the S&P 500 closed at 1,525.75, up 7.00. The Dow and S&P rose 2.8% on the week. In the wake of the Fed's rate cut Tuesday, "confidence is returning", one fund manager told Bloomberg. More »

It's murky waters ahead for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a day after rival NetSuite Inc. revealed in an IPO filing that the outspoken billionaire holds a 74% stake. That puts Ellison, whose Oracle holdings are valued at $24 billion, in a tricky spot: Other shareholders may view the joint investments as a serious conflict of interest, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »