Finally: Microsoft to Start Spending Its Billions
Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced a plan to give shareholders as much as $75 billion in value over the next four years.
The Redmond, Wash., software company announced a quarterly dividend of 8 cents per share, along with plans to buy back as much as $30 billion of the company's stock over the next four years, and a special one-time dividend of $3 per share.
Under the plan, which was approved Tuesday by the Microsoft board, the company will move from its current annual dividend of 16 cents per share to a quarterly dividend of 8 cents per share, which would essentially double the annual dividend to about $3.5 billion, if continued at that level.
The board also approved plans to buy back as much as $30 billion in Microsoft stock over the next four years. The company also will pay a one-time special dividend of $3 per share, or $32 billion, subject to shareholder approval of stock plan amendments that would allow certain adjustments to employee equity compensation awards to offset the impact of this large, one-time payout.
