$223 Billion Back To Shareholders: Inside The MSFT Machine
Source: Trefis ·
Microsoft handed shareholders one of the largest cash returns in market history, but what did that money actually buy for the owners who held on.
From the source
Microsoft handed shareholders one of the largest cash returns in market history, but what did that money actually buy for the owners who held on? Microsoft (MSFT) builds the software that runs modern work and the cloud infrastructure that powers the internet’s next act in artificial intelligence. With its stock trading near $502, the company has seen a powerful 37% run over the last three months. Yet over the last five years, this software giant has also run one of the market’s great cash-return machines . It handed back $223.1 billion to its owners through dividends and buybacks. That raises a critical question for any investor: the company returned a fortune, yet its stock lagged the broader market. Was holding on worth it, and what does this payout signal now? How does a software company generate this much spare cash? The sheer scale of the return is hard to grasp. The five-year total is the 3rd largest among all US companies Trefis tracks and equals 6.1% of Microsoft’s current…