Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Matt Koppenheffer :: Townhall.com Columnist
Great Call on Oracle! What's Next?
by Matt Koppenheffer
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
 

Maybe you're not a fan of Larry Ellison. Or maybe you're like Warren Buffett and avoid technology investments altogether. But even if Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) isn't on your watch list, you have to give credit where credit is due, and Oracle has been quite a performer.

I could base that on the fact that Oracle's stock has doubled over the past five years, a period when the market has been about as kind to investors as Pete Townshend is to his guitars. I could also base that on Oracle's growth, returns on capital, and fat profit margins.

But as we await Oracle's fiscal-first-quarter earnings release tomorrow, maybe the bigger question is whether Oracle's stock is a buy.

For some help with that question we can turn to the collective opinion of The Motley Fool's CAPS community, where Oracle sits at a middle-of-the road three-star rating. While more than 2,600 CAPS members think Oracle's stock will outperform the market, there are enough naysayers that the stock hasn't made it into the ranks of the community's favorite picks.

That, however, doesn't mean that there aren't CAPS members who have scored big points by betting on Oracle. CAPS member and fellow Fool writer Tim Beyers ( TMFMileHigh), for example, gave Oracle a thumbs-up way back in May 2006 and has racked up more than 80 points on that on-the-money call.

Tim is ranked in the top 30% of all CAPS members and has scored more than 1,500 points while making correct calls 42% of the time. Oracle isn't Tim's only great call. Here's a look at a few of his other prescient picks:

Company

Date Picked

Date Ended

Call

Points

CAPS Rating
(out of 5)

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR)

9/12/06

Still Open

Outperform

703

*

Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX)

11/29/07

Still Open

Outperform

123

**

Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP)

4/25/08

Still Open

Outperform

84

****

Data from CAPS.

So what has this investor been looking at more recently? Here are a few of the most recent calls on CAPS:

Company

Date Picked

Call

CAPS Rating
(out of 5)
Continued...

1 2
| Full Article & Comments | Next >
Share:
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author

Matt Koppenheffer is a contributor to the Motley Fool.

Be the first to read Matt Koppenheffer's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
*
State:
*
Zip:
*
Phone:
      
The very best in financial advice from Dave Ramsey, Larry Kudlow, Motely Fool and many more plus Dilbert!