How Oracle stock brought shareholders $158 billion

In the last decade Oracle stock (NYSE: ORCL) has become a world-class capital return engine, returning a remarkable $158 billion to shareholders – the ninth-highest amount in company history.

This payout is made up of $35 billion in dividends and massive $123 billion in share buybacks, representing about 31.5% of the company’s current market cap.

Supported by stable cash flows from its transition to cloud-based infrastructure and database services, Oracle’s strategy focuses on increasing earnings per share through aggressive share buybacks. While it lags behind leaders Apple ($847 billion) and Microsoft ($368 billion) – Oracle’s consistent return on capital alone underscores a sophisticated balance between funding its high-growth…