Microsoft seeks pre-dividend shift in stock plan
124131
SEATTLE - For Microsoft Corp. shareholders, the holidays will likely come early this year in the form of a one-time $3 dividend thatâs part of the companyâs plan to return some of its $64.
528053
Microsoft may end up having to raise the amount it is willing to pay for Yahoo if the software company&#39;s stock continues to drop while Yahoo&#39;s continues to rise.
141609
(InfoWorld) - MicrosoftÂ will give analysts in New York a strategic update on the company's business Thursday, but they aren't expecting a repeat of the surprise dished up last April. "We are expecting a non-event," wrote Citigroup analyst Brent Thill in a research note released Wednesday. Since analysts' briefing with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and CFO Chris Liddell is only scheduled for an hour, "we expect it to be nothing more than a cheerleading session around Vista/Office 2007, and an update on the online and entertainment initiatives," he wrote. Last year during its April 2006 earnings call, Microsoft surprised Wall Street analysts by lowering its earning forecasts for fiscal 2007 because it expected to spend US$2 billion more on operating expenses than previously expected. The company cited marketing and other costs associated with promoting the launch of Windows Vista and Office 2007 -- which were released to retail on Jan. 30 -- as one of the reasons for increased spending. Still, analysts and investors were hardly pleased with the news, and it sent Microsoft's stock plunging. There should be no such shockers on Thursday, according to a research note by Israel Hernandez, a Lehman Brothers Inc. analyst. In fact, Hernandez wrote that he expects the meeting is intended to "pre-empt any surprises" in Microsoft's financial guidance for fiscal 2008, which begins in July. Still, analysts do have their concerns about some information Microsoft may provide at Thursday's meeting. According to Hernandez, some analysts think that Vista retail sales have been slower than expected since its Jan. 30 launch, and that Microsoft "may tone down expectations" for OS sales in fiscal 2008. However, since the product was only recently released, "it is very unlikely that Microsoft will have anything negative to say about the launch," he wrote. Another risk heading into Thursday's meeting is that Microsoft may announce that it's going to increase spending in its online business, which could drive earnings down and make the stock less attractive for investors, according to a research note by Adam Holt, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst. However, Holt wrote that even if this happens, Microsoft can absorb those costs in other areas of the business -- such as reducing spending in its sales and marketing and research and development segments -- so it does not affect the company's earnings. "Even with a 20 percent to 30 percent increase in spending on new initiatives on FY08 margins could still expand substantially," he wrote.
726759
London Stock Exchange Group Plc forecast  a big rise in third-quarter earnings and pledged to raise its  full-year dividend at least 50 percent as it reiterated its  opposition to a 2.7 billion pound ($5.3 billion) hostile bid  from U.S. rival Nasdaq .
241252
(InfoWorld) - Microsoft raised the dividend it pays out to shareholders by a penny per quarter to $0.10 on Wednesday, the same dividend as for chip giant Intel. The company did not say why it raised the dividend. The company's stock rose $0.05 cents to close at $25.98 on Wednesday. For years, investors in Microsoft stock complained to the company to raise its dividend and share the wealth. In 2004,Â the company respondedÂ with a four-year, $75 billion plan to pay a one-time special $3.00 per share cash dividend and launch a massive stock buyback. By comparison, other technology companies, such as Dell and Apple Computer, for example, pay no dividends on their shares. But Procter & Gamble, a maker of household products such as Tide laundry detergent and Crest tooth paste, pays a dividend of $0.31 per quarter. The first Microsoft shareholders to receive the increased dividend will be holders on record as of Nov. 16, who will be paid on Dec. 14, Microsoft said.
113992
Microsoft Corp shareholders cleared the way for the world&#39;s largest software maker to pay out the largest corporate dividend ever next month and welcomed news of a blockbuster first day of sales for its video game Halo 2.
708867
No. 1 software maker Microsoft Corp.   MSFT.O on Thursday awarded restricted stock worth $951   million, based on its current share price, as performance   bonuses to some 900 executives and managers.
161839
Stocks to watch on Friday: MICROSOFT  CORP. MSFT.O: The world's largest software maker will suffer  serious harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows  without Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer  told a European Union court.
168120
Microsoft Corp. , whose shares  have fallen nearly 20 percent since its last quarterly report,  will seek to assure investors this week that it is programmed  for growth in its 2007 business year.
133753
NEW YORK - Finally, there is some good news for Microsoft in its struggle to gain a foothold in the living room. The third try is always the charm when Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) takes a run at a new market.
587791
Microsoft Corp.  shareholders cleared the way on Tuesday for the world's largest software maker to pay out the largest corporate dividend ever next month and welcomed news of a blockbuster first day of sales for its video game "Halo 2."
547667
Microsoft&#39;s $1.2 billion acquisition bid for Oslo-based Fast Search and Transfer and a dour report on Amazon marked the new year&#39;s first full trading week in the United States, as technology company share prices continued to slide.The increase in tech share prices that occurred in 2007 -- a banner year for IT company earnings -- appears to be in danger of evaporating, as fears of a general downturn and bad news on the consumer front resound among industry insiders. U.S. Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke&#39;s announcement on Thursday that he would move to cut interest rates to spur growth provided only a temporary halt to a decline in the Nasdaq Composite Index, which closed Friday at 2,440, down 212 points from its close at the end of 2007.This week, investment banking firm Goldman Sachs forecast that the United States will suffer a recession this year. Company analyst David Kostin reduced his recommendation for the amount of technology stocks that investors should keep in their portfolios, from 19 percent to 15 percent.Investors usually like to keep a good percentage of their holdings in tech stocks to hedge their bets. IT companies are truly global, with major U.S. vendors earning about 50 percent of their revenue outside their home countries.But inside the United States, tech companies are getting hit with a double whammy: a predicted weakening of consumer spending because of falling home prices and a resulting crisis in financial markets. Up to 18 percent of U.S. and global tech spending comes from financial companies, according to Forrester Research.Turmoil in the financial markets will likely dampen tech buyouts from private equity investors, according to the 451 Group&#39;s Tech Banking Outlook Survey, released this week. But that might not stop cash-rich technology companies from continuing to shop for deals, it noted.On Tuesday,&#160;Microsoft announced that it would buy enterprise search software company Fast Search And Transfer&#160;for 6.6 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.2 billion). Microsoft said it will integrate Fast Search&#39;s high-end search technologies into its enterprise infrastructure offerings, including SharePoint Server 2007 business productivity platform.Microsoft is locked in a search battle with Google, not just for general Web searches but also for businesses. Fast Search shares got an immediate boost on the Oslo exchange, where its price jumped from 13.35 kroner to close at 18.80 kroner Tuesday. The deal did not keep Microsoft shares from sliding in a generally down market for tech, however.On the consumer side, investors were particularly spooked by comments on Tuesday from AT&amp;T CEO Randall Stephenson, who said the company has had to stop servicing an increasing number of customers who did not pay their bills. The company closed Tuesday at $39.07, down by $1.96 for the day.The news did not bode well for other technology companies that sell to consumers. Citing uncertainty about U.S. consumer spending, American Technology Research Monday put a &quot;sell&quot; rating on Amazon, which then on Tuesday fell by $2.66 to close at $85.22 on the Nasdaq.Even companies that received positive reports from analysts this week were slammed by the general market slide. Lazard Capital Markets started its coverage of virtualization-software darling VMware, which had a successful IPO last month, by issuing a &quot;buy&quot; rating on Tuesday. VMware&#39;s share price jumped by $5.39 to close at $79.89 Wednesday, but slid back to $77.53 by the end of the week.
23971
Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O on Thursday  posted higher quarterly earnings as revenue rose 12 percent,  but its shares fell after the world's largest software maker  said current quarter sales would fall below Wall Street  expectations.
451984
Stocks to watch on Friday: MICROSOFT CORP. : The world's largest software maker will suffer serious harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer told a European Union court.
273498
Microsoft is mulling an investment of up to 5.0 percent in the social networking site Facebook, a move that could set the stage for confrontation with rival Google, the Wall Street Journal reported.
190601
SEATTLE -- For Microsoft Corp. shareholders, the holidays will likely come early this year in the form of a one-time $3 dividend that's part of the company's plan to return some of its $64.4 billion cash hoard to shareholders.
107113
Microsoft may end up having to raise the amount it is willing to pay for Yahoo if the software company's stock continues to drop while Yahoo's continues to rise.