Microsoft Goosing the dividend

摘要

Microsoft, the world's No. 1 software maker, raised its quarterly dividend 25 percent to 20$, providing shareholders with a payout at the upper end of forecasts. The Redmond (Wash.)-based company's cash hoard ballooned by 43 percent last year, prompting calls from investors for it to share more of the wealth. Microsoft would be able to afford a bigger dividend if it could repatriate foreign profits without triggering tax liabilities-a problem that confronts several U.S. tech companies, including Cisco, which has been vocal on the topic.