Oracle (ORCL) is one of the largest software player in the world, and competes withe SAP (SAP), Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM) in this market. After acquiring Sun Microsystems in 2010, Oracle became a hardware player as well with products pertaining to enterprise servers and storage hardware business. It competes mainly with IBM and HP (HPQ) in the hardware business.

Here we will analyze the three most important segments for Oracle and the value that each contributes to our $37.94 price estimate for Oracle stock. Our price estimate stands about 20% above market price.

Shares of software giant Oracle Corp. (ORCL) traded higher after the market closed Thursday as the company reported fiscal third-quarter earnings above analyst estimates.

Going into this afternoon's earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see Oracle report earnings of 50 cents per share. Excluding one time items, Oracle stated that its quarterly earnings were 54 cents.

If, as outlined in January, you took some profits off the table with enterprise software leader Oracle Corporation (ORCL) (first discussed here on April 7, 2009 at a price of $18.54) you made the correct move: the stock has pulled back slightly, to about $31.

That said, those investors who missed the the April 2009 entry point can take advantage of the recent dip to consider the shares, as it looks like Oracle's is headed to $40 and beyond.

Oracle's FY2011 revenue should surge about 30% to 35%, aided by hardware systems and support sales gains via acquisitions.

Mobile chips leader Qualcomm (QCOM) is planning to launch a variety of 'augmented reality' software for use in different consumer applications, according to Bloomberg/Businessweek.

Qualcomm wants to drive demand for its powerful processors that can handle high speed computing tasks for mobile devices. To do that, it intends to promote processor intensive augmented reality applications. Augmented reality aims to aid consumers with what they see. By pointing the phone's camera to objects and scanning them, the application can then identify them in the database, and find relevant material.

So, in my earnings preview for Microsoft Corporation's (MSFT) latest quarterly report, I mentioned that I was excited to see the numbers. More importantly, I was eager to see how the market would react to the news. Well, the numbers, as well as the reaction, are here. And although my curiosity has been satisfied, my desire for a sustained rally has gone unfulfilled (yes, I am a shareholder of the company).

At the time of this writing, Microsoft is down 0.4% to $28.75 in the extended-hours trading period. The fiscal second-quarter release, posted near the end of the regular session, did cause a little action in the shares, as this item over at The Wall Street Journal indicates. But it was short-lived.

Red Hat (RHT), an open-source software business whose colleagues include Microsoft (MSFT) and Oracle (ORCL), experienced some selling pressure in yesterday's extended-hours session. The stock was off by 2.7% to $46.60. Still, the company is closer to its 52-week high of $49 than its 52-week low of $26.51.

And if you look at the chart, you'll see that the shares have been in an uptrend following a period of sideways movement. Should an investor buy this uptrend? Is yesterday's selling action a temporary phenomenon?

I own shares of Microsoft (MSFT) and believe the business may still offer value for investors. Therefore, it was heartening to see the software company's fiscal first-quarter report, released after the bell on Thursday. The profit growth was impressive, and the reaction by the market to the numbers will hopefully continue into Friday's regular session.

It's been a tough ride for me. Look at the one-year chart. Notice how the stock sort of plunges after hitting a peak in April? I initiated my position just before the drop and found myself forced to make additional purchases to improve the cost basis. I am, however, still underwater.

Oracle (ORCL), a software company whose colleagues include International Business Machines (IBM) and Microsoft (MSFT), issued its first-quarter earnings numbers Thursday after the bell. The market was quite pleased; during extended-hours trading, and at the time of writing, shares of the business were higher by 4.3% at $26.46.

That isn't far from the 52-week high of $26.63. The 52-week low for the stock is $20.10, so the range is very narrow. The one-year chart shows that the company has been on an uptrend as of late. Should you buy at this point?

I'm underwater on my Microsoft (MSFT) position. I made some initial purchases earlier in the year at higher prices. Yesterday, I decided to buy more to improve my cost basis. It still isn't that great; my average cost per share is over $29. But I may buy more, and I may sell some covered calls against the position to further improve the basis (assuming I can find appropriate premiums).

Why did I buy more of the software behemoth? Was it because of the new blockbuster Xbox 360 game Halo: Reach? Not a chance. Even though the title will sell a ton of copies, it doesn't constitute a trade-worthy catalyst. It just won't have enough of a financial effect.

The software behemoth Microsoft (MSFT) released its stellar fourth-quarter results Thursday after the bell. The stock was flat on the news, a fact that does not bode well for my particular situation as I own the stock. I was looking for the company to be something of a short-term trade when I purchased it back in April at about $30.

Didn't work out, but I don't necessarily mind being stuck with the stock for now. I'm counting on it to bounce back at some point. The valuation appears fine to me, and the shares are still comfortably above the 52-week low of $22.73.

Running a consulting business can be a juggling act. It's not easy to manage a variety of accounts while also continuing to look for new business. And, in light of the tough economy, clients are looking for ways to cut back on services.

What to do? Well, you can try to find new revenue sources. And one interesting option is to sell software products.