With Oracle's buybacks exceeding free operating cash-flow generation, S&P is concerned the company will be overleveraged.
Some analysts question whether the Oracle co-founder can bring independent oversight to Tesla given his friendship with Elon Musk.
Growth in Oracle's cloud-computing business, however, still lags behind rivals such as Workday and Salesforce.
Low up-front costs, hands-off maintenance, and automatic updates make cloud systems deserving of a serious look.
The ERP market is in great flux as 2018 winds down, positioning some ERPs in unaccustomed positions as market leaders.
"This market has no patience for any misses from tech companies, no matter how minor or how explainable the miss."
The company's shares drop more than 7% after its guidance for fourth-quarter cloud revenue misses analysts' expectations.
Five key ways to avoid ERP failures, from a veteran expert witness in lawsuits over botched implementations.
The acquisition of Aconex will "significantly advance" Oracle's push to expand its cloud-based software offerings for managing construction projects.
The startup is aiming to disrupt the $44 billion database software market by offering a "modern, general purpose" platform.
The company expects cloud growth of 39% to 43% in Q2, disappointing investors who are watching its efforts to catch up with Amazon and Microsoft.
The company, once a latecomer to the cloud space, says it has "turned the corner."
