Oracle Q3 About as Successful as CEO's America's Cup Bid

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is a little lighter in the wallet today–about $2 billion lighter–thanks to a third quarter sales miss that sent the company’s shares down some 8% in after-hours trading.

Oracle (ORCL) posted a 30% increase in profits and a 21% increase in revenue, both in line with expectations. But a 16% rise in sales of new software that came in on the low end of its January forecast spooked investors who believed Oracle to be immune to the economic slowdown.

“A lot of investors had bought the stock in anticipation of a strong quarter,” said Avian Securities analyst Jeff Gaggin. “The applications business was definitely disappointing.”