晉江學(xué)英語(yǔ)在線英語(yǔ)培訓(xùn)網(wǎng)上學(xué)英語(yǔ)

1、投資者考量微軟未來(lái) Saturday April 17, 9:15 pm ET By Meg Richards, AP Business Writer Investors Ponder Microsofts Future As Computer Powerhouse Puts Some Legal Troubles Behind It (中文大意)微軟過(guò)去三十年取得的成功使其成為股票市場(chǎng)上第三大企業(yè)，也使其創(chuàng)始人比爾-蓋茨成為全球首富，但隨著公司最輝煌的頂峰已經(jīng)成為過(guò)去，投資者已經(jīng)開(kāi)始思考這家軟件巨頭的未來(lái)。多年來(lái)，投資者一直將微軟視作一支增長(zhǎng)股，事實(shí)上其的確一直是高技術(shù)行業(yè)的晴雨表，但現(xiàn)在的

2、微軟日趨成熟，其產(chǎn)品早已占據(jù)軟件市場(chǎng)主導(dǎo)地位，結(jié)果是其股價(jià)不再像十幾年前那樣持續(xù)攀升。標(biāo)準(zhǔn)普爾公司的分析師約翰-魯?shù)希↗ohn Rudy）表示：“現(xiàn)在一個(gè)主要的問(wèn)題是，微軟股價(jià)攀升的催化劑是什么？”分析人士預(yù)計(jì)，微軟未來(lái)幾天公布財(cái)報(bào)時(shí)不會(huì)宣布令人驚訝的消息，但投資者卻期待著微軟能夠找到增加利潤(rùn)的更多方法，因?yàn)樾掳鎃indows操作系統(tǒng)要到2006年才能面市。目前微軟現(xiàn)金儲(chǔ)備將近530億美元，其有可能收購(gòu)其他公司，也有可能給投資者發(fā)放紅利。魯?shù)险f(shuō)，考慮到現(xiàn)在微軟已經(jīng)與美國(guó)司法部達(dá)成了反壟斷和解，另外還和Sun等對(duì)手就技術(shù)專利糾紛達(dá)成和解，微軟可能更愿意動(dòng)用現(xiàn)金進(jìn)行并購(gòu)活動(dòng)或是給股東分紅。分析人士

3、稱，微軟的股價(jià)在眾人期待已久的新版Windows面市之前可能會(huì)繼續(xù)穩(wěn)步攀升，但這一趨勢(shì)并沒(méi)有刺激股民現(xiàn)在就購(gòu)買微軟的股票。魯?shù)险f(shuō)：“現(xiàn)在大家都認(rèn)為微軟的股票不會(huì)大幅攀升，所以都在持觀望態(tài)度?！盢EW YORK (AP) - Microsoft Corp.s successes over the last three decades have made it the third-largest company in the stock market and its founder the richest man in the world. But with its peak growth yea

4、rs behind it, investors are wondering whats ahead for the computing powerhouse.For years, investors have classified Microsoft as a growth stock, and certainly it has been a bellwether for the high-tech sector. But the upstart that helped lead the tech revolution has become more mature, and with its

5、products dominating the software market, its stock price no longer loops upward as it did in the companys youth.It seems like their shareholder base is really turning over from a lot of the growth funds to a value base, said John Rudy, an analyst with Standard & Poors. The big question is, what is t

6、he catalyst to get the shares going?Microsoft is among more than 170 companies in the Standard & Poors 500 reporting quarterly earnings in the coming week. Its expected to post profits Thursday of 29 cents a share and revenues of $8.66 billion, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson First CallRes

7、ults are also expected from such bellwethers as Pfizer Inc., American International Group Inc., Altria Group Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. Though most companies have either matched or beaten Wall Streets expectations so far this earnings season, the markets reaction has been muted. The prospect of higher i

8、nterest rates has been an unwelcome distraction for investors, who are struggling through a correction that started in February.Investors searching for further evidence that the economy is improving will be listening closely to forecasts for the rest of the year, including Microsofts. The company ma

9、y not make any surprise announcements, but investors are looking to it to find ways to increase its profits since the next version of its Windows operating system isnt due until 2006.With almost $53 billion in cash and short term investments, Microsoft could go acquisition hunting, though its wrangl

10、ing with regulators makes anything beyond a strategic niche purchase unlikely. It also could share more of its wealth with investors, either with a one-time special dividend or by raising its payout on an annual basis.Now that it has dealt with a series of legal issues in the United States and abroa

11、d, the company may be willing to do just that, though probably not next week, Rudy said.It recently settled patent and antitrust suits with Sun-Microsystems Inc., InterTrust Technologies and AT&T Corp., and last year it put to rest claims by Time Warner Inc. involving Netscape Communications. And mo

12、st of the uncertainty surrounding its European Union antitrust case was dispelled last month, when EU regulators ruled against it, ordering sanctions and a big fine. Microsoft is appealing the decision.Even without something to jog the stock in the near future, Microsofts stock is likely to rise ahe

13、ad of the much-anticipated launch of the new version of Windows. But that doesnt seem to be inspiring buyers now.Everyone believes the stock is stuck in neutral. That really seems to be the expectation, and thats really not the case, said Rudy, noting that the company produced steady growth througho

14、ut the recent downturn.A lethargic stock price - now at $25.16, Microsoft hasnt traded near $40 since mid-2000 - and the prospect of a higher dividend make the stock ever more appealing to value managers, such as Carl Peterson, president of Parkway Advisors in Abilene, Texas.Just before the EU decis

15、ion, as the market was sinking into its correction, Microsofts share price fell so far, it landed in a list of out-of-favor stocks Peterson uses to build his firms value equity portfolio. He ranks the stocks in the S&P 500 based on past performance, then makes value picks from the bottom 125.When we

16、 found it in our value list, ranked high, we were surprised . it was great for us, because it bumped up our presence in the tech sector, Peterson said. Im hoping they will continue to identify their dividend strategy. A cash-kind of return on your investment, yet the ability to have equity growth co

17、me out the company . Thats something we look for.The Dow Jones industrials ended the week up 9.94, or 0.1 percent, finishing at 10,451.97. The Standard & Poors 500 index slipped 4.71, or 0.4 percent, to close at 1,134.61.The Nasdaq tumbled 57.12, or 2.8 percent, during the week, closing Friday at 1,995.74.The Russell 2000 index, which tracks smaller company stocks, closed the week down 14.51