Microsoft declares dividend
Reuters | at | by Mike
Microsoft on Thursday announced its first-ever dividend and a two-for-one stock split as it posted quarterly earnings that edged past Wall Street expectations. But the No. 1 software company also said that revenues for the current quarter and the full-fiscal year ending in June would be below Wall Street estimates amid an ongoing slump in information technology spending. In a surprise move, Microsoft also said it would start paying dividends for the first time since going public in 1986, declaring an annual dividend of 16 cents per share before the split.