Oracle has positioned itself to take advantage of the artificial intelligence craze, which means big returns ahead for investors, according to Baird. The investment firm initiated coverage of the tech giant with an outperform rating and $365 price target, implying that shares could rise 27% from their Wednesday close. Baird analyst Rob Oliver pointed to Oracle's strong positioning as an artificial intelligence growth story. "We view ORCL as very well positioned to benefit from the accelerating spend on AI infrastructure, and the convergence of AI, data and use-cases that will emerge from the move from training to inference," he wrote. ORCL YTD mountain ORCL year to date More importantly, outside of AI, Oracle also has a strong broader ecosystem of applications, data and networking. Oracle's broad set of software offerings and applications offers investors exposure across the broader computing ecosystem. "The combination of resources it delivers — scaled infrastructure, database, networking, and applications — creates a virtuous circle that we believe can support a premium valuation and propel shares beyond the current infrastructure scarcity trade," Oliver added. The analyst also pointed out that Oracle's revenue could accelerate to over 20% as revenue increasingly shifts towards cloud computing. "Core drivers of SaaS Applications and Infrastructure spending should support multiple years of above-average growth," he wrote. "Operating margins have remained ~40-45% despite accelerated investment cycle." Oracle shares are up 73% year to date. Most analysts are bullish on the stock, with 33 of 44 rating it a buy or strong buy, per LSEG. ( Learn the best 2026 strategies from inside the NYSE with Josh Brown and others at CNBC PRO Live. Tickets and info here . )
