Leave it to Wall Street! Give 'em eight cents and they'll hold out for two quarters.
However, the argument for boosting its anemic payout is sound. Microsoft is sitting on $46 billion in cash. But this isn't the type of cyclical company in need of a meaty war chest during its industry's downtime, unlike automakers or airlines. Neither is it investing the capital back into the company in significant chunks, as that cash balance continues to grow with every passing quarter. That only leaves a blockbuster acquisition as a reason to keep billions stashed away in its pockets, but that's highly unlikely now that the eyes of the Federal Trade Commission are glued to it.
|