Oracle referred to as the third quarter of fiscal 2026 its greatest in 15 years with income up 22% to $17.2 billion and cloud infrastructure up 84% to $4.9 billion. The market rejoiced, sending the top off almost 10% in after-hours buying and selling on Tuesday.
Regardless of the market’s ebullience, the enterprise software program large is blowing by way of money at a steadily rising tempo. Simply three quarters in the past, Oracle’s free money stream was primarily zero, and this quarter it clocked in at destructive $24.7 billion over the trailing 12 months as its capital expenditures rocketed from $21.2 billion in fiscal 2025 to a guided $50 billion this fiscal 12 months as the corporate forges forward in its AI knowledge heart buildout.
Chief monetary officer Doug Kehring stated after the market closed that Oracle would supply up extra details about its capital expenditures for fiscal 2027 subsequent quarter.
“I feel we’ll get again to everybody on the finish of the fiscal 12 months and discuss subsequent 12 months’s capex at that time,” stated Kehring in response to a query. Nonetheless, he flagged that Oracle is engaged on financing constructions the place future spending doesn’t come out of Oracle’s pocket however as an alternative might be paid for by prospects paying for capability and companies. “Probably the most attention-grabbing factor which you can begin interested by is the uncoupling of CapEx with capital necessities from Oracle,” Kehring stated.
Oracle, whose market cap is greater than $400 billion, has been shadowed by questions on its aggressive capital spending and mounting debt load. The corporate guided capex of $50 billion for the present fiscal 12 months, a determine that has helped push its whole debt place to greater than $100 billion. Final month, Oracle raised $30 billion by way of a one-two punch of bonds and most well-liked inventory, and stated its order ebook was considerably oversubscribed by traders.
For now a minimum of, the corporate is delivering robust outcomes because the wager performs out.
On the topline, Oracle on Tuesday reported fiscal third quarter earnings per share up 21% at $1.79, planting it a number of notches above Wall Avenue’s expectations of about $1.71 in adjusted earnings per share. The outcomes despatched the corporate’s inventory worth on a direct tear in after-hours buying and selling, an ‘Uno reverse’ on the inventory’s roughly 20% tumble thus far in 2026.
Oracle executives, together with Govt Chairman and co-founder Larry Ellison repeatedly burdened that the corporate’s enterprise software program was not vulnerable to being displaced by enterprise prospects utilizing AI instruments to construct their very own variations of the product. Ellison stated Oracle is utilizing AI coding instruments to construct ecosystem automation platforms for hospitals, monetary companies companies, and retail operations.
“That’s what we’re doing at Oracle,” stated Ellison. “That’s why we expect we’re a disruptor. That’s why we expect the ‘Saaspocalpyse’ applies to others, however to not us.”
A half-trillion greenback backlog
Cloud infrastructure income, Oracle’s quickest rising enterprise unit and a key driver behind its AI ambitions, clocked in at $4.9 billion, with 84% development year-over-year. The determine was in keeping with consensus estimates and continues together with Ellison’s imaginative and prescient of competing with Amazon and Microsoft within the cloud market.
Complete cloud income was $8.9 billion and up 44% year-over-year. Its multi-cloud database income slice—the quantity Oracle earns from operating its database software program inside opponents’ clouds—was up 531%. That piece is a part of Ellison’s strategic plan of threading Oracle into the ecosystems of Amazon’s AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, somewhat than prodding prospects to maneuver their knowledge into Oracle’s infrastructure.
The corporate didn’t give particular numbers for multi-cloud income, however famous that its remaining efficiency obligations (RPO), which refers to its backlog of contracted future work—was $553 billion. That determine is proof of demand outpacing provide, stated Magouyrk. He added that Oracle signed greater than $29 billion in new contracts since final quarter, in a mannequin through which prospects fund the capability buildout themselves.
“A mix of bring-your-own {hardware} and upfront buyer funds permits us to proceed increasing with none destructive money stream,” stated co-CEO Clay Magouyrk. He famous that Oracle delivered greater than 400 megawatts of capability to prospects within the third quarter, with 90% of it on or forward of schedule.
“It’s unprecedented to be scaling capital right into a enterprise so shortly whereas additionally rising profitability,” stated Magouyrk in the course of the convention name. “As our enterprise goes by way of this hyper-growth section, that’s the one drag on profitability.”
Melissa Otto, head of analysis at S&P International Seen Alpha, stated Oracle’s debt-to-equity ratio stands between 3x and 4x relying on the way it’s outlined, which is “fairly important leverage.”
“The funding neighborhood will need to hear what they’re going to do to make sure that the corporate stays on the precise trajectory provided that degree of leverage,” stated Otto in an interview earlier than the earnings outcomes.
Subsequent quarter, Oracle’s C-suite stated it expects income to develop 19% to 21% and income for the total 12 months is predicted to be $67 billion. Fiscal 2027 steerage was raised to $90 billion.
“Excessive-growth corporations are prepared to take successful within the close to time period” in pursuit of an outsized acquire over the long-term, stated Otto, however traders are on the lookout for proof alongside the way in which that capex is translating into return on invested capital, margin enlargement, and income development, she stated.
“Once I take a look at steadiness sheets and money positions of the hyperscalers within the house, they’re excellent except Oracle,” she stated.
