Microsoft Corp.'s decision to pay its first dividend may prompt other computer-related companies to change course and dip into their cash holdings to reward shareholders, investors said.
Cisco Systems Inc., Yahoo! Inc., Dell Computer Corp. and Oracle Corp. are among companies that may declare dividends after Thursday's announcement by the world's largest software maker, fund managers said. Microsoft, with $43 billion in cash and short-term investments, is in the best position among its peers to defy the computer industry's custom of not paying dividends in order to plow cash back into research and development or share buybacks.
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