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Microsoft Amends 'clerical Errors' In Financial Reports
News The changes pertain to unearned revenue, an accounting term used to refer to money received for services not yet rendered, such as advance payments. According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Microsoft incorrectly...
[March 26, 2002, 14:26]
Viruses Bruise Microsoft's Bottom Line
News The result was a sharp drop in unearned revenue -- that is, money taken in by Microsoft for software deals that span future quarters. Matt Rosoff, an analyst with market researcher Directions on Microsoft, said that some drop in unearned revenue...
[October 24, 2003, 9:05]
Microsoft Downplays Sales Expectations
News The company also faces a further drop in its closely watched balance of "unearned revenue" -- that is, money taken in for software provided over several years as part of a licensing agreement. That program accounted for $1.1bn (£0.60bn) of the $9bn...
[January 29, 2004, 9:15]
Microsoft Earnings Steam Ahead
News As in previous quarters, Microsoft resisted the downward pull of the economy by way of unearned revenue, which is revenue for software that has yet to be delivered. Unearned revenue accounted for about 26 percent of the company's total revenue...
[April 16, 2003, 8:28]
Legal Costs Depress Microsoft's Bottom Line
News Microsoft's unearned revenue balance is closely watched by analysts as a measure of gauging future results. Microsoft's balance of unearned revenue -- that is, monies received as part of long-term contracts -- declined $326m from the prior quarter...
[April 23, 2004, 8:40]
Price Hikes Pay Off For Microsoft
News As expected, a last-minute spending spree by larger businesses buoyed the current quarter and greatly added to the amount of unearned revenue on Microsoft's balance sheet. The majority of unearned revenue comes from software licensing, but not all.
[July 19, 2002, 7:58]
Microsoft Sets Dividend, Splits Stock
News Microsoft initially records the money as unearned revenue, turning it into actual revenue over the life of the contract. Realisation of unearned revenue accounted for about 22 percent of the quarter's revenue.
[January 17, 2003, 8:14]
Licensing Buoys Microsoft Again
News In the fourth quarter, Microsoft posted $7.74bn in unearned revenue, up $830m from the third quarter. Unearned revenue swelled further during the just-reported first quarter to $9.13bn -- mostly from licensing -- up from $5.85bn a year earlier.
[October 18, 2002, 9:08]
Microsoft Profit Beats Expectations
News Although Microsoft's reported numbers were better than expected, the company posted a sharper-than-expected decline in unearned revenue -- that is, money taken in by Microsoft but not booked as sales for that quarter.
[October 24, 2003, 11:40]
Viruses Bruise Microsoft's Bottom Line
Talkback Some would argue that MOST of Microsoft's revenue is "unearned" :) Still, it's good to see them hit in the pocketbook -- corporate users have bought anything M$ sold them for way too long. Reminds of IBM in the old days before Gerstner -- remember...
[March 4, 2004, 11:42]
Microsoft Releases Details Of Earnings
News However, the company also saw a drop in so-called unearned revenue -- that is, money taken in for long-term contracts, as customers expressed reticence over security issues. In October, Microsoft reported earnings of $2.6bn on $8.2bn in revenue...
[November 14, 2003, 9:25]
Attention Switches To Microsoft's Licensing Programme
News With quarterly results due out on Thursday, investors can spend their time scrutinising other aspects of Microsoft, namely its individual business segments and the company's balance of unearned revenue -- money already taken in as part of long...
[July 22, 2004, 8:55]
Microsoft Tops Q3 Estimates
News The sales figure doesn't include unearned revenue of $400m related to the Microsoft Office 2000 Technology Guarantee, which will be recognised in coming quarters. While most analysts are expecting revenue growth on the order of 25 percent to 30...
[April 21, 1999, 7:52]
Microsoft Profits Double
News The company's balance of unearned revenue -- seen as a predictor of future sales -- rose slightly from the prior quarter, to $7.97bn from $7.78bn. For the three months that ended on 31 December, the company earned $3.46bn, or 32 cents per share, on...
[January 28, 2005, 14:05]
Reluctance To Upgrade Starts To Hurt Microsoft
News However, analysts have expressed concern that the company's take from licenses -- known as its unearned revenue balance -- has dipped sharply in the last two quarters. Excluding new hardware sales, the company derives 42 percent of its revenue from...
[February 2, 2004, 13:30]
Microsoft Beats Estimates But Still Disappoints
News Microsoft's balance of unearned revenue at the end of the quarter was $8.18bn, up $651m from March, spurred by an increase in new multiyear licences and renewals. Microsoft said it expects its balance of unearned revenue to dip by $200m to $300m...
[July 23, 2004, 8:35]
Microsoft Earns Even More Than Expected
News The company's balance of unearned revenue -- a highly watched indicator for future sales -- dropped to $7.78bn, a slightly larger decline than the company had predicted. Amid strong PC demand from consumers and businesses, Microsoft on Thursday...
[October 22, 2004, 9:00]
Microsoft Extends Software Assurance To Disasters
News The company has seen its balance of unearned revenue -- money taken in for licensing but not yet earned -- decline in recent quarters. Microsoft said on Wednesday that some volume licensing customers will soon be able to store their software at no...
[May 20, 2004, 9:00]
The Day Ahead: Lehman Bond Analyst Zaps Amazon Again
News Amazon's other ACN partners such as Toys 'R Us, HP and Microsoft pay cash, inflating the cash position via the unearned revenue line, said Suria. Commentary: Amazon.com's third quarter has a lot of bulls cheering.
[October 27, 2000, 13:22]
Nortel Finally Releases Results
News The widening probes into the company's accounting centre on allegations that key executives pocketed millions of dollars in unearned incentive bonuses last year. Nortel, which had withheld results for the first half of the year while reviewing its...
[August 19, 2004, 16:10]
