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Technology Stocks : Oracle Corporation (ORCL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robert b furman who wrote (17235)	6/18/2002 3:03:12 PM
From: Night Writer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 19080

Investors train eyes on Oracle software revenue PALO ALTO, Calif., June 18 (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. <ORCL.O> has said it will at least match Wall Street's profit expectations for its key fourth quarter, but its revenue performance remains a big question mark ahead of the world's second-biggest software company's earnings report on Tuesday. In a note to clients, Merrill Lynch analyst Chris Shilakes said the health of Oracle's software sales will be a primary focus as investors comb through the company's numbers, due after the market close. "Better than $950 million would be seen as more positive while license revenues below $950 million would be seen less favorably," Shilakes said. A year ago, Oracle's fourth-quarter software sales came in at $1.6 billion. Analysts, on average, expect Oracle to earn 12 cents a share on total revenue of $2.55 billion, according to research firm Thomson First Call. Oracle had a 15-cent per share profit on total sales of $3.3 billion last year. "The Street anticipates better-than-feared (earnings per share) driven by cost control; we believe any good news on the revenue front would be positive," Banc of America Securities analyst Bob Austrian said in a client note. Oracle's year-on-year revenues have declined for the last four consecutive quarters and the company has several times issued forecasts that fell short of results. Oracle shares fell 28 cents, or about 3 percent, to $8.92 on Nasdaq ahead of the company's earnings announcement. ((Palo Alto bureau 1 650-461-3401 or lisa.baertlein@reuters.com)) REUTERS * end of story *