Oracle Corporation (ORCL) will raise its quarterly dividend by 20 percent to $0.06 per share in 2011. This is the first dividend hike since Oracle initiated a $0.05 per share quarterly dividend in 2009.

The next dividend is payable on May 4, 2011, to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 13, 2011. The ex-date for the new quarterly dividend of 6 cents per share is April 11, 2011.

Oracle Corporation provides products and services that address all aspects of corporate IT environments, including application, platform and infrastructure. The company's businesses include cloud and on-premise software, hardware and services. Its cloud and on-premise software business consists of three segments, including cloud software and on-premise software, which includes Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings, cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and software license updates and product support. Its hardware business consists of two segments, including hardware products and hardware support. Oracle has been paying a dividend to shareholders every year since 2009.