Ellison Pledges $9.2 Billion in Oracle Stock as Loan Collateral
Larry Ellison, a pivotal player in Paramount Skydance Corp.’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., has committed 67 million additional shares of Oracle Corp. as collateral for personal loans compared to the same period last year. The share pledges, disclosed in an Oracle filing on Friday, represent a 19% rise in the number of shares Ellison has pledged since 2025. The stock is valued at approximately $9.2 billion based on Oracle’s closing price of $137.10 on Friday.
Ellison is assisting his son David’s company, Paramount, in the acquisition of Warner Bros., a deal valued at $111 billion. The Ellisons have committed to $47 billion in equity funding for that deal, about $24 billion of which is coming from three Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. Paramount is also seeking to secure debt financing. Paramount is approaching the finalisation of its agreement with Warner Bros. Following the negotiation of a settlement earlier this week with 12 state solicitors general and the Writers Guild trade union that had initiated legal action to impede the merger.
Oracle officers and directors are prohibited from pledging company shares as collateral for personal loans, with the sole exception of Larry Ellison, who holds the positions of executive chair and chief technology officer at the company. The total stock pledged currently accounts for approximately 36% of Ellison’s overall holdings of 1.16 billion shares. The regulatory filing also disclosed that Oracle’s co-chief executive officers will receive $870 million in combined stock option awards. The package of Clay Magouyrk was assessed at $621.7 million, whereas Mike Sicilia’s was appraised at $248.7 million.
The executives assumed the joint CEO role a year ago, succeeding Oracle veteran Safra Catz. Ellison, who did not receive awards in the prior two fiscal years, received a package valued at $117.8 million. The 82-year-old technology mogul announced plans earlier this month to sell as much as $7.5 billion in Oracle stock, but then quickly cancelled those plans.
