Replies to post #2193 on Microsoft Corp (MSFT)

[Laize]

You should take a good look at MSFT's stock history.

Yeah, they fell hard and stayed flat for an entire decade.

Back in the 90s, they were an amazingly innovative, market-creating company with a legion of fans and a certified business genius in the CEO chair. Sound familiar?

Then the genius left. And the realization of what the company could do without him sank in.

Now they are an end-stage company. They pay a nice dividend and make a metric crapton of money. They have a highly aggressive (if altogether unimpressive) CEO in charge. The problem is that they just have nowhere else to grow quickly.

This is Apple's fate. And it's not a bad fate to have. Dividends are a BIG reason Microsoft stock is still highly valuable.

[MinnieM]

I'm curious if you adjusted for the forward splits msft has had since early 1998? It's had five since then.


Splits
•Microsoft has split nine times since going public. The stock split 2-for-1 on September 18, 1987, April 12, 1990, May 20, 1994, December 6, 1996, February 20, 1998, March 26, 1999, and February 14, 2003. The stock also had two 3-for-2 splits on June 26, 1991 and June 12, 1992.


Read more: Microsoft Stock Split History | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5077008_microsoft-stock-split-history.html#ixzz0tFFg6rKx





In Reply To 'Heywood40'

I first invested in tech in 1998.

I bought 500 shares of AAPL at a split-adjusted $7.50 for $15,000.

You are correct in stating that AAPL essentially flatlined until 2004, but I didn't mind. I had foreseen Apple's success and was willing to wait it out until the market figured it what I could already see back then.

The stock has split twice since I bought, and I now have 2000 shares worth $520,000.

At the time I made my first tech investment, if I had chosen Microsoft instead of Apple, my $15,000 would now be worth about $26,000.

AAPL has performed 20X MSFT's performance over the course of my tech investing career.

I know a couple of geezers that did well in MSFT back in the day, but I was looking for the next big opportunity, not one that had already occurred.

I credit Microsoft for its past performance, but it has been totally over for them since 1998 as a means of providing wealth to new investors. Meanwhile Apple is still in the early stages of bringing wealth to those who own the stock.

I decline your invitation to take lessons in revisionist history. I'll leave the fabrication and distribution of revisionist history to you, as you have demonstrated your considerable expertise in that area.