Microsoft stock went public

A quick note about how splits work: In a typical 2-for-1 split, shareholders receive two shares for every one share they own. The stock price is then adjusted proportionally so that the value of the investment remains the same as before the split. If you had bought just one share of Microsoft at the IPO, you would now have shares after all the splits.

After the splits, you would now own 68, shares. The dividends you would be earning every year are just as awesome. Microsoft paid its first quarterly dividend in Microsoft has been a phenomenal growth story. Its success was cemented well before its IPO, back in the very early days after Bill Gates founded the company in In those early years, Microsoft's future success was all but guaranteed, based on its growing relationship with Intel and IBM.

In the s, Microsoft was building its software to work well with Intel's microprocessor. As fortune would have it, the relationship that Microsoft founder Bill Gates was forming with IBM and Intel was an important factor that would eventually make Microsoft one of the most dominant tech companies in the world. When IBM selected Intel's chip design to be used in its groundbreaking PC in , Microsoft's relationship with these two tech companies was cemented.

Post-IPO, Microsoft continued to dominate the software industry. On the heels of the release of Windows 2. Over the next few decades, Microsoft continued to innovate and expand its scope.

One of its most successful releases came in the in the mids with the introduction of Windows Microsoft sold an astounding 40 million copies in its first year. In , the company introduced the Xbox, which was also an immediate hit and sold 1. The console grounded Microsoft in the video game space, and that became one of its most profitable divisions. Microsoft has also faced plenty of setbacks over the years. In the late 90s, the company faced antitrust charges from the U.

Department of Justice and, in the early s, it released a string of unpopular products , including the Zune music player, Windows Vista operating system and Surface tablet.

From the beginning, Nadella embraced cloud computing and helped Microsoft emerge as a top competitor in the space, challenging Amazon Web Services and others. Revenue or per share e. Source: FactSet. Stock Snapshot Profile Microsoft Microsoft Corp. The Intelligent Cloud segment refers to the public, private, and hybrid server products and cloud services of the company which can power modern business. The More Personal Computing segment encompasses products and services geared towards the interests of end users, developers, and IT professionals across all devices.

The firm also offers operating systems, cross-device productivity applications, server applications, business solution applications, desktop and server management tools, software development tools, video games, personal computers, tablets, gaming and entertainment consoles, other intelligent devices, and related accessories.

The score provides a forward-looking, one-year measure of credit risk, allowing investors to make better decisions and streamline their work ow. Subfiler 7. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Investment Management 2. LLC 2. We Need Your Support! Close Window. Computer and Technology. Computer Software.

Microsoft is a technology company. Oracle ORCL.