Oracle earnings and sales up big, but still not enough for the Street
Oracle's quarterly profit rose 30 percent while revenue climbed 21 percent and margins improved — but the stock is down almost 10 percent in after-hours trading. Why? Growth fell short of expectations. Let this be a lesson to anyone thinking about taking a company public — I'm looking at you Mark Zuckerberg — the public is very unforgiving. You can't rest on your laurels. Companies must come up with new ways to make money that are both profitable and sexy. It's not enough to, as Oracle did, merely buy your competitors.