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Microsoft Raises Dividend

Microsoft's board increased the company's quarterly dividend by a penny to $0.09 a share.

Companies often raise dividends to make their shares attractive as they enter periods of slower growth, but Microsoft chief financial officer Chris Liddell billed the move as continuing the process of returning cash to shareholders. Last year, the company reduced its cash hoard by $44 billion with various shareholder payouts.

“We remain confident in our growth prospects and have an exciting product line-up, which includes major releases like Xbox 360, SQL Server 2005, Office 12 and Windows Vista,” Liddell said in a statement Wednesday.

Microsoft will pay the dividend March 9 to shareholders of record on Feb. 17.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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