Shareholders Safeguard Oracle's Ellison

Stock owners spent nearly $1 million for security at the CEO's abode.

Author:: Bill Snyder
Publish date:: Aug 30, 2005 7:50 PM EDT

How safe is

Oracle

CEO Larry Ellison in his Japanese-style mansion on the San Francisco peninsula? As safe as nearly a million dollars will buy.

Oracle shareholders forked out $922,000 in fiscal 2005 to pay for security measures in Ellison's home as mandated by the company's board, according to a regulatory filing.

Not only did Ellison's reimbursed expenses increase by 74% from a year earlier, his pay package, exclusive of options, swelled to $8.4 million, a 91% increase from fiscal 2004, according to executive compensation in the company's proxy statement filed Tuesday with the

Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company explained Ellison's compensation as a result of "his execution of our plan to enhance investor value through, among other things, an increase in our profitability. Our GAAP net income increased 8% and non-GAAP net income increased 29% from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2005. Our GAAP earnings per share increased 10% and non-GAAP earnings per share increased 31% from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2005."

During the same period -- the fiscal year ended May 31, 2005 -- Oracle shares appreciated 12%, while the

Nasdaq Composite

gained 4% and the Goldman Sachs Software Index was up 8%.

Oracle's four other top executives were hardly reduced to selling CDs on Wall Street in fiscal 2005. Co-President Safra Catz received a bonus of $4.9 million, up from $1.9 million the year before in addition to her $800,000 salary, which stayed flat.

Co-President Charles Phillips was rewarded with a bonus that increased tenfold to $2.8 million, and the company picked up $173,000 in commuting and lodging expenses. Keith Block, who heads North America Sales and Consulting, was also paid $800,000, and a bonus that swelled to $3.4 million from $849,000 in 2004.

Chairman Jeff Henley's salary slipped to $693,000, reflecting his decision to step down as CFO, but his bonus jumped to $2.9 million from $800,000.

Ellison was granted 2.5 million options to purchase common stock; Catz got 750,000; Block 500,000; and Phillips and Henley each received 750,000 options.

The database giant will hold its annual shareholder meeting Oct. 10.