Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) lines up $638B AI backlog with $95B capex plan

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) lines up $638B AI backlog with $95B capex plan

NEW YORK, July 3, 2026, 17:01 EDT

  • U.S. stocks did not trade Friday because of the Independence Day holiday. Oracle Corporation last finished at $140.27 on July 2.
  • Oracle dropped 5.6% during the holiday-shortened week and is down 23.9% over its last nine sessions, based on closing prices.
  • Oracle said remaining performance obligations totaled $638 billion, about 1.6 times its current market cap. The company could spend up to $95 billion on capex in fiscal 2027.
  • FactSet figures cited by WSJ had 38 out of 45 analysts rating the stock at Buy or Overweight, with an average price target of $254.84. That’s almost 82% higher than the last close.

U.S. equity trading was closed Friday for the Independence Day holiday, giving Oracle (ORCL) a break after it finished Thursday at $140.27, down 1.56%. Volume hit 44.27 million shares, about 1.56 times the 65-day average. Shares sit just 4.2% above the 52-week low of $134.57.

Oracle’s AI cloud push is hitting a timing issue. The company’s backlog is now bigger than its equity value, but the bills for data centers are showing up before the revenue does. Oracle ended May with $638 billion in remaining performance obligations. That’s more than its market cap, which was $408.5 billion on the latest market data.

Oracle tapeLatest figureInvestor read
July 2 close$140.27Down nine days in a row
Holiday-week move-5.6%Came from $148.53 on June 26
Nine-session move-23.9%Down from $184.29 since June 18
July 2 volume44.27 mlnTraded 1.56 times the 65-day average
52-week position4.2% above lowStill 59.4% off the high

The rest of the market went a different direction. The Dow set a fresh record close on Thursday, while the S&P 500 finished unchanged and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.8%. On the week, the S&P 500 advanced 1.8%, the Dow added 2.0% and the Nasdaq was up 2.1%.

Market read-throughThursdayWeek
Oracledropped 1.6%fell 5.6% this week
S&P 500ended flatup 1.8% on the week
Dow Jones Industrial Averagegained 1.1%added 2.0% this week
Nasdaq Compositeslipped 0.8%rose 2.1% on the week

Why it matters: Oracle is being watched as a test of how much the market will fund. For fiscal 2026, Oracle brought in $32.0 billion in operating cash flow, but had negative free cash flow of $23.7 billion. It pulled in $43 billion in debt and another $5 billion from equity. Oracle plans to raise around $40 billion more via debt and equity in fiscal 2027, including a $20 billion at-the-market equity deal it had already announced. The company said it does not plan to issue more debt in calendar 2026.

Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk told analysts delivery is “continuing to accelerate.” CFO Hilary Maxson said gross margins will “step down” as the company ramps up data center projects. Jacob Bourne, analyst at eMarketer, said the “funding question is getting harder, not easier.” Reuters

Backlog vs build-outFigureWhy investors care
Remaining performance obligations$638 blnThat’s around 1.56x its market cap
RPO expected in next 12 months$76.56 blnLower than the full FY2027 capex target
FY2027 capex planUp to $95 blnOracle putting up $70 bln, with $20 bln-$25 bln planned to be repaid
FY2026 free cash flow-$23.7 blnBurn rate is still the key concern
FY2027 financing planAbout $40 blnMix of debt and equity remains

Analysts haven’t kept up with the stock’s drop. FactSet counted 31 Buys, 7 Overweights, 6 Holds and just 1 Sell. The average price target landed at $254.84, with a $243 median and a $400 high. Barron’s noted Mizuho’s Siti Panigrahi holds a $320 target, while KeyBanc is at $300, even as Oracle trades through its longest losing streak since 2021.

Analyst sideCurrent
Buy or Overweight38 out of 45
Bullish calls84.4%
Hold6
Sell1
Average price target$254.84
Implied gain at $140.2781.7%
Highest / lowest target$400 / $155

Oracle faces a basic challenge to start the week: end a nine-day losing streak when U.S. markets reopen after the holiday. Nasdaq’s 2026 schedule marks July 3 closed for Independence Day observed, same as NYSE’s calendar.

Oracle’s board has declared a $0.50 per share quarterly dividend. The payout is set for July 24, to shareholders of record as of the close on July 10.

Michał Rogucki

Michał Rogucki is a senior markets reporter at TS2.tech. His coverage ranges from stocks and technology to economic developments affecting global markets. He graduated from Humboldt University of Berlin and worked in investment research and market analysis before becoming a financial journalist.

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