Oracle shares eased on Thursday, pausing after a dramatic surge that had pushed the software giant close to joining the exclusive $1 trillion club and propelled co-founder Larry Ellison closer to becoming the world’s richest man.
The stock dropped about 4% in afternoon trading, trimming gains from the previous day when it jumped nearly 36% on the back of strong cloud demand and optimism around artificial intelligence. Wednesday’s rally added more than $240 billion to Oracle’s market value, taking it to a record $933 billion. If Thursday’s losses hold, the valuation would fall back to around $894 billion.
AI Deals in Focus
The latest surge was fuelled by reports of major new contracts. The company told investors this week its order backlog is set to hit $500 billion in the coming months. The Wall Street Journal also reported that OpenAI has agreed a $300 billion deal with Oracle for computing power, one of the largest such arrangements ever disclosed.
The deals underline the scramble for cloud capacity as AI developers race to secure infrastructure. Oracle, long a laggard in cloud computing, is now seen as a serious rival to Amazon and Microsoft in supplying the hardware behind AI models.
Ellison’s Wealth Soars
The market move has also lifted the fortune of co-founder Larry Ellison. His net worth is estimated at $371.7 billion, driven by his 41% stake in Oracle, putting him just behind Elon Musk on Forbes’ global wealth list. Musk’s wealth is put at $441.2 billion.
Ellison has been central to Oracle’s pivot into cloud services, betting that AI would transform demand for computing power. Investors now view that strategy as paying off.
Analysts See More Upside
Some analysts say the rally may have gone too far, too fast. Oracle trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 45, compared with 31 for Amazon and Microsoft. Still, the median price target on Wall Street is $342 a share, suggesting about 9% upside from Thursday’s level of $314.
“A bit of buyer exhaustion here,” said Dennis Dick, chief strategist at Stock Trader Network. “I think the ‘buy the dip’ crowd is likely to re-emerge. The guidance was so incredible, it’s hard to think this story is over.”
One of 2025’s Top Stocks
Even with Thursday’s dip, Oracle shares have nearly doubled in value this year, making them one of the best performers in the S&P 500.
Whether the company can sustain that momentum will depend on its ability to turn a swelling backlog into revenue and maintain its new position as a key supplier in the global AI race.
