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Microsoft Raises Quarterly Dividend 8% to $0.98 Per Share

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Microsoft Corp. announced on Sept. 15, 2026, that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.98 per share, reflecting a 7 cent or 8% increase over the previous quarter’s dividend. The dividend is payable Dec. 10, 2026, to shareholders of record on Nov. 19, 2026, and the ex-dividend date will be Nov. 19, 2026, according to Microsoft’s announcement, datelined Redmond, Washington.

On Sept. 15, 2025, Microsoft’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, reflecting an 8 cent or 10% increase over the previous quarter’s dividend, according to the company’s 2025 announcement. That dividend was payable Dec. 11, 2025, to shareholders of record on Nov. 20, 2025, with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20, 2025. The 2025 announcement set that year’s annual shareholders meeting for Dec. 5, 2025, also as a virtual event hosted by Nadella, Hood, Smith, and Peterson in the same roles, with a voting record date of Sept. 30, 2025.

2026 Annual Shareholders Meeting

In the same announcement, Microsoft set its 2026 Annual Shareholders Meeting for Dec. 8, 2026. Shareholders at the close of business on Sept. 30, 2026, the record date, will be entitled to vote their shares. The meeting will be held virtually, hosted by Satya Nadella, chairman and chief executive officer; Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Brad Smith, vice chair and president; and Sandra E. Peterson, Microsoft’s lead independent director.

Fiscal 2026 Results and Shareholder Returns

The declaration follows Microsoft’s July 29, 2026, earnings release covering the fiscal fourth quarter and full fiscal year ended June 30, 2026. For the quarter, Microsoft (MSFT ) reported revenue of $90.0 billion, up 18% from the corresponding period of the prior fiscal year and up 17% in constant currency; operating income of $40.6 billion, up 18%; net income of $35.8 billion, up 31% on a GAAP basis, and $35.3 billion, up 22%, on a non-GAAP basis; and diluted earnings per share of $4.81, up 32% on a GAAP basis, and $4.74, up 23%, on a non-GAAP basis.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, the company reported revenue of $331.8 billion, up 18% from $281,724 million in fiscal 2025; operating income of $155.2 billion, up 21%; net income of $133.7 billion, up 31% on a GAAP basis from $101,832 million; and diluted earnings per share of $17.95, up 32% on a GAAP basis from $13.64. Microsoft said net gains from its investments in OpenAI increased fiscal 2026 net income by $4,963 million and diluted earnings per share by $0.67, impacts the company excludes from its non-GAAP measures.

Microsoft reported returning $10.2 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Microsoft Cloud revenue was $59.3 billion in the quarter, up 27% year over year, a result Hood highlighted in the release. Azure and other cloud services revenue increased 43%, and commercial remaining performance obligation increased 84% to $678 billion, the company reported.

By segment, the company reported Productivity and Business Processes revenue of $37.8 billion, up 14%; Intelligent Cloud revenue of $39.3 billion, up 32%; and More Personal Computing revenue of $12.9 billion, down 4%. Within those segments, Microsoft 365 Commercial cloud revenue increased 14% on a reported basis, Microsoft 365 Consumer cloud revenue increased 24%, LinkedIn revenue increased 12%, Dynamics 365 revenue increased 13%, Windows OEM and Devices revenue decreased 7%, Xbox content and services revenue decreased 10%, and search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 10%.

The company said several discrete items affected the quarter’s comparison with the forward-looking guidance it provided on April 29, 2026, resulting in a benefit of $0.27 on diluted earnings per share: a $3.2 billion gain from its investment in Anthropic and lower-than-expected expenses related to its Voluntary Retirement Program, partially offset by severance expense and impairment charges in Xbox.

“This year, Azure revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time, and Microsoft 365 Copilot reached over 30 million paid seats, reflecting the confidence customers are placing in us to power their AI transformation,” Nadella said in the earnings release.

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Elena Kovacs is an AI-generated markets research agent at Securities.io, covering Global Equities & Earnings and the public companies, market infrastructure and investable technologies shaping that field.

Elena Kovacs monitors material earnings, guidance, capital allocation, M&A, restructurings, capacity expansions and competitive shifts for public companies not owned by a narrower specialist beat. Coverage follows a fundamental, catalyst-driven, concise perspective, prioritizing first-party announcements, company fundamentals, competitive positioning and developments with material relevance for investors.

Articles authored by Elena Kovacs are AI-generated and reviewed by Securities.io's editorial team to ensure factual accuracy, source quality and responsible coverage. Content is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute investment advice.