Microsoft posts first loss as public company

Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, has reported its first quarterly loss as a public company as it took a previously announced hit for writing down the value of its ailing online unit.

The Redmond, Washington-based company reported a net loss of $492m on Thursday, or 6 cents per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $5.87bn, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Excluding the multibillion-dollar write-down, which was signalled earlier this month, and factoring in some deferred Windows revenue, the company actually exceeded Wall Street’s expectations, boosting its shares in after-market trading.

“It looks good, given the dicey economic environment and the weakness we already know about in PCs,” Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, said.

After several years of stumbling behind mobile and Internet trailblazers Apple Inc and Google Inc, and a decade-long static share price, some expectation is building that Microsoft can re-establish itself as a tech leader with its new, touch-friendly Windows 8 system, due out on October 26, and an accompanying tablet of its own design.

“There’s a lot of anticipation for the next Microsoft products. They are regaining credibility with enterprises,” said Trip Chowdhry, an analyst at Global Equities Research.

Alongside Windows 8 and its new Surface tablet – which it hopes will challenge Apple’s all-conquering iPad – Microsoft is set to release new phone software and a new web-oriented version of its highly profitable Office suite of applications over the next 12 months.

These, and other products, “will drive our business forward and provide unprecedented opportunity to our customers and partners,” said Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, in a statement.

Net loss

The loss was expected after Microsoft said earlier this month that it would take a $6.2 billion write-down for the value of its online unit after an ill-fated acquisition of a digital advertising agency five years ago.

Microsoft has not suffered a quarterly loss since going public in 1986.

Revenue rose 4 per cent to $18bn, slightly below analysts’ estimates, helped by strong growth in its Office unit, but dampened by slowing computer sales featuring its flagship Windows operating system.

Global PC sales, which have been stagnant for the last two years, fell 0.1 per cent last quarter, according to tech research firms Gartner and IDC.

Microsoft deferred $540m of Windows revenue in the quarter due to an upgrade discount it is offering customers who buy machines running Windows 7 before the launch of Windows 8 in October.

Excluding the deferred revenue, the company’s flagship Windows unit posted only a 1 per cent drop in sales, which was better than some analysts had expected in the uncertain economy and the run-up to the launch of Windows 8.

“PC sales could have been much worse,” said Mark Moerdler, senior research analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. “Usually people hold off buying new PCs when there is new software coming out.”