You probably checked the ticker this morning and saw a number that didn’t quite match the hype from a few months ago. Honestly, the orcl stock price today per share is telling a much more complicated story than just a simple green or red arrow on a screen. As of the market close on Friday, January 16, 2026, Oracle (ORCL) settled at $191.09, up about 0.65% for the day.
It’s a bit of a breather. If you’ve been following the stock, you know it’s been a wild ride since it hit those peaks over $345 last year. We’re currently looking at a market cap sitting around **$545 billion**. For a company that Larry Ellison basically willed into the AI era, that’s a lot of value, but it's also a reflection of a market that’s suddenly getting very picky about how much debt tech giants are taking on.
What’s Moving the orcl stock price today per share?
Markets are weirdly nervous right now. Even though Oracle is winning massive contracts, the stock has been under pressure. Why? Mostly because of a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Carpenters' Pension Plan. They’re alleging that Oracle didn’t play fair with its disclosures regarding how much debt it was going to pile on to build out those massive AI data centers.
It’s the "AI show me" phase of the market. Investors aren't just satisfied with "we have the chips" anymore; they want to see the margin.
The Numbers You Need to Know
- Closing Price (Jan 16): $191.09
- Day High: $191.87
- Day Low: $186.53
- 52-Week High: $345.72
- Dividend Yield: roughly 1.05% ($2.00 annually)
Check out the volume, too. Over 19 million shares traded hands on Friday. That’s a lot of conviction on both sides of the trade. While the price per share has pulled back significantly from its 52-week high, the underlying business is actually growing at a rate that would make most startups blush.
The Half-Trillion Dollar Backlog Nobody is Ignoring
The most insane metric in Oracle's latest report wasn't the earnings per share—which, by the way, was $2.10 GAAP for the last quarter—it was the RPO. Remaining Performance Obligations. Basically, this is the pile of money customers have already committed to pay Oracle for future services.
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That number just hit $523 billion.
Think about that. Oracle has over half a trillion dollars in contracted revenue waiting to be recognized. Safra Catz and her team have been signing multi-billion dollar deals with Meta, NVIDIA, and OpenAI like they’re going out of style. The orcl stock price today per share might be down from its highs, but the backlog has quadrupled year-over-year.
It's a bizarre disconnect. You have a company with the largest "to-do" list in tech history, yet the stock is sitting in the $190s because people are worried about the $50 billion capital expenditure budget.
Is the AI Debt Lawsuit a Real Threat?
Let’s be real: lawsuits happen to big companies constantly. But this one feels different because it hits on the market's biggest fear in 2026—AI overspending. The allegation is that Oracle took on way more debt than they let on to finance the "Zettascale" superclusters.
Barclays recently noted that corporate bond issuance is going to climb this year as these hyperscalers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle) keep building. If interest rates stay stubborn, that debt gets expensive. That is exactly what’s keeping the orcl stock price today per share from retesting those $300 levels right now.
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However, analysts like Brad Zelnick over at Deutsche Bank aren't blinking. They’re calling ORCL a "top pick" for 2026. Their logic? The financing jitters are temporary, but the 1,500% growth in MultiCloud database revenue is a fundamental shift that isn't going away.
Why the Price Action Feels Sluggish
- Capex Stress: Spending $50 billion on hardware is a lot of cash out the door.
- Transparency: Investors are getting twitchy about how much revenue is tied to OpenAI’s stability.
- Insider Selling: Doug Kehring, the CFO, recently sold 35,000 shares at $194.89. Even if it was a pre-set 10b5-1 plan, the optics weren't great for a market looking for a reason to sell.
The Cloud Infrastructure Explosion
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is the "scrappy" underdog that finally started winning. In the last quarter, OCI revenue grew by a staggering 68%. Compare that to the growth rates of Azure or AWS, and you see why Ellison is so bullish.
They are currently running over 211 live and planned regions. That is more than any other cloud provider. They aren't just building data centers; they’re building them specifically for the most power-hungry AI workloads.
If you look at the orcl stock price today per share, you're basically betting on whether Oracle can turn that $523 billion backlog into actual cash flow fast enough to outrun the interest on their debt.
Where the Stock Goes From Here
Most Wall Street analysts are still sticking to their guns. The average price target is hovering somewhere around $298 to $315. If the stock is at $191 today, that’s a massive upside if the analysts are right.
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But it’s a big "if."
You've got to watch the next earnings call like a hawk. Specifically, look for "margin expansion." If Oracle can show that they are getting more efficient at running these AI clusters, the stock will likely snap back. If they announce another $10 billion in debt, expect the price per share to tread water or slip further.
Actionable Insights for Investors
- Watch the RPO Burn: The backlog is great, but watch how fast it converts to "Recognized Revenue." If that 40% near-term RPO growth holds, the cash is coming.
- Ignore the Lawsuit Noise: Unless a judge actually halts bond issuances, these suits usually end in settlements that don't change the long-term thesis.
- Monitor the MultiCloud: The partnership with AWS, Google, and Microsoft is Oracle’s secret weapon. They are basically the "neutral ground" where everyone’s database lives.
- Dividend Safety: With a payout of $0.50 per quarter and plenty of cash flow ($22.3 billion in the last 12 months), the dividend is safe.
The orcl stock price today per share is essentially a discount on a massive pile of future contracts, provided you have the stomach for the volatility that comes with the 2026 AI build-out.
Keep an eye on the bond markets. If Oracle can provide "financing clarity" like Deutsche Bank expects, the gap between the current $191 price and the $300 targets could close faster than people expect. For now, it’s a game of patience and watching whether Larry's big bet on Zettascale pays off.
To stay ahead of the next move, you should monitor the SEC Form 4 filings for any more insider activity and keep a close eye on the "Sovereign AI" deals Oracle is currently brokering with national governments, as these are high-margin and highly stable compared to private tech contracts.