Microsoft raises quarterly dividend by a penny
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(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.
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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.
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Microsoft Corp. said its fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 11 percent, beating analysts' expectations, as the company benefited from stronger-than-expected computer and server shipments.
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Microsoft Corp  posted a rise  in quarterly profit on Thursday, boosted by healthy demand for  personal computers loaded with its Windows operating system and  strong sales of its "Halo 3" video game.
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YESTERDAY Close $31.51 Change +$0.59 52-WEEK High $31.84 Low $22.72 Microsoft Corp.'s fiscal fourth-quarter profit edged up 7 percent despite a hefty charge to cover the cost of defective Xbox 360 video game consoles.
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Personal income, boosted by a large dividend payment from computer software giant Microsoft Corp., shot up by a record 3.7 percent in December.
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The software company's stock rises on improved second-quarter numbers.
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Microsoft Corp lifted its full-year estimates on Thursday after posting a 23 percent rise in quarterly profit on strong demand for both computers running its operating system and "Halo 3," sending its shares up 12 percent.
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Microsoft Corp. is expected to report a sharp rise in quarterly profit Thursday, boosted by surging revenue as strong computer sales drive demand for its Windows operating system and Office software.
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For Microsoft Corp. shareholders, the holidays will likely come early this year in the form of a one-time &#36;3 dividend that's part of the company's plan to return some of its &#36;64.4 billion cash horde back to shareholders. But Microsoft won't hand out the cash unless shareholders allow the company to alter its stock compensation plans, so employees who hold stock options and stock awards aren't hurt by the dividend payout.
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For Microsoft Corp. shareholders, the holidays will likely come early this year in the form of a one-time $3 dividend that&#39;s part of the company&#39;s plan to return some of its $64.
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Microsoft Corp  posted a 7  percent gain in net profit as demand for its Office software  and improved results from its online arm more than compensated  for a $1.1 billion charge to repair Xbox video game consoles.
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Strong sales of new and old products alike led Microsoft to its fastest first-quarter growth in eight years with the company reporting growth in all five business segments and both revenue and EPS (earnings per share) that beat analyst expectations.Revenue for the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30 was up 27 percent at $13.76 billion compared to $10.81 billion a year ago, Microsoft said Thursday. Consensus estimates from Thomson First Call analysts were for the company to generate revenue of $12.57 billion. Microsoft&#39;s EPS for the quarter was $0.45, which also soundly beat Thomson First Call consensus estimate of $0.39. Net income for the quarter was $4.29 billion, a 23 percent increase over the $3.48 billion reported a year ago.At $5.92 billion, operating income for the quarter also had double-digit percentage growth: An increase of more than 25 percent over operating income reported for the same period last year of $4.47 billion.Microsoft&#39;s first quarter was buoyed by the highly anticipated launch of the Xbox 360 game Halo 3 on Sept. 25, just days before the quarter&#39;s close. In its first 24 hours on sale, the game brought in $170 million in sales; it became the fastest selling video game in history after being in the market for just a week and a half, according to the company.Strong performances from Microsoft&#39;s client, business, server and tools, and online divisions also contributed to revenue growth in the quarter. In particular, Microsoft said sales of its Windows Vista OS experienced double-digit growth through multi-year business contracts, and demand for Microsoft Office, Windows Server, and SQL Server was also high.Looking ahead, Microsoft said it expects to report revenue in the range of $15.6 billion to $16.1 billion for its second quarter, which ends Dec. 31. Operating income is expected to be in the range of $5.9 billion to $6.1 billion, while diluted EPS are expected to be between $0.44 to $0.46 for the second quarter, the company said.For its fiscal year 2008, Microsoft expects revenue in the range of $58.8 billion to $59.7 billion and operating income in the range of $23.3 billion to $23.7 billion. Diluted earnings per share are expected to be between $1.78 and $1.81 for the fiscal year, the company said.
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Microsoft Corp. , the world's largest software maker, on Thursday said its first quarter profit climbed as personal computer sales and business demand fueled higher sales.
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Shares in Swiss-based computer peripherals maker gained up to 12 percent amid speculation Microsoft would launch a takeover bid, traders said.
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Microsoft Corp  posted a 7 percent gain in net profit as demand for its Office software and improved results from its online arm more than compensated for a $1.1 billion charge to repair Xbox video game consoles.
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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Microsoft said Thursday that its fiscal first-quarter net income rose 11 percent from a year earlier as client software sales, server revenue and Xbox sales all rose.