] Software billionaire Larry Ellison has given his new ] bride a pricey gift of 911,744 shares of his ] company's stock. ] ] Ellison, chief executive of software giant Oracle, gave ] the shares to his fourth wife, novelist Melanie Craft, on ] March 1, according to a filing Wednesday with the ] Securities and Exchange Commission. ] ] The shares were worth $11.9 million when Ellison parted ] with them. Oracle's stock has since declined by 9%, ] reducing the value of Craft's holdings to $10.8 million ] Wednesday, based on Oracle's closing price of $11.85 on ] the Nasdaq Stock Market. If I were her, I'd say "thanks honey, but I'd rather have the cash!" and sell immediately. -LB |