‘Magnificent Seven’ earnings are behind us and Oracle (ORCL:NASDAQ) is one of just a handful of S&P 500 stocks still to report. There could be fireworks when it does on 9 September.

While AI (artificial intelligence) excitement dominates the headlines Oracle has been quietly going about its own AI transformation, with vigorous expansion into cloud services a strategic move that provides customers with lots of options. Avid Premier League fans will be familiar with match data powered by Oracle Cloud, for example.

The transition from traditional licencing to cloud-based subscription services is expected to fuel accelerated sales growth for Oracle and continue the rapid rise of the shares, which are up 35% this year alone.

Crucial to keeping markets onside will be evidence that Oracle’s profitability is becoming more powerful, which should be aided by the full integration of health tech firm Cerner, bought for $28 billion in 2022. Oracle has also made considerable efforts to cut out excess cost.

This anticipated improvement in profitability is seen as a key factor that could influence the company's financial performance positively. Analysts at Edward Jones recently suggested that the current $141.29 share price may not fully reflect the firm’s optimism for sales growth acceleration.

This is the acid test, and recent quarterlies have left investors a bit underwhelmed, with mild forecast misses in June’s fourth quarter update. 

US UPDATES OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS

QUARTERLY RESULTS

6 Sept: Kroger, BRP, ABM Industries, Brady, Tsakos Energy, Genesco, Hurco, BeyondSpring, Champions Oncology, Big Lots

9 Sept: Oracle, Rubrik

10 Sept: Petco Health and Wellness, InnovAge Holding, Adriatic Metals

11 Sept: Designer Brands

12 Sept: Adobe, Signet Jewelers

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