Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway turned heads with what one analyst called its "obscene" level of $128 billion in cash on hand at quarter's end. But one S&P 500 company has even more dough - and a bigger yield: Microsoft.
Thanks to its cloud-computing powered resurgence, Microsoft (MSFT) now has $136.6 billion in cash and short-term investments. That's more than any other non-financial in the S&P 500. The total is more than Apple's (AAPL) famous $100.6 billion mound of cash and U.S. Treasuries. And it's more than the $121.2 billion amassed by Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL).
And best of all for you: Microsoft's 1.4% dividend beats them all. Apple yields just 1.2%. And Microsoft's dividend yield also tops the 1.14% yield of the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK), which both Microsoft and Apple belong to.
Berkshire's yield? It's zero, making it a notable company left out of the 1.6% yield paid by the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF).
Thanks to its cloud-computing powered resurgence, Microsoft (MSFT) now has $136.6 billion in cash and short-term investments. That's more than any other non-financial in the S&P 500. The total is more than Apple's (AAPL) famous $100.6 billion mound of cash and U.S. Treasuries. And it's more than the $121.2 billion amassed by Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL).
And best of all for you: Microsoft's 1.4% dividend beats them all. Apple yields just 1.2%. And Microsoft's dividend yield also tops the 1.14% yield of the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK), which both Microsoft and Apple belong to.
Berkshire's yield? It's zero, making it a notable company left out of the 1.6% yield paid by the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF).
Warren Buffett Lags In Another Way
Microsoft isn't just topping Berkshire Hathaway's (BRKA) yield and cash. Microsoft's stock is making the "world's greatest stock picker's" stock look like dead money.
Shares of Berkshire, despite paying no dividend, are up just 6.9% this year. That not only trails Microsoft's 42.2% gain this year, but also the 23% gain of SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). Berkshire's IBD Composite Rating of 46 is well below Microsoft's at 95.
Longer term, you can also see why Warren Buffett finds it so difficult it is to beat SPY stock. Shares of his Berkshire Hathaway are up just 53.5% over the past five years, barely edging out the 52.9% gain of the S&P 500. Keep in mind, though, the S&P 500 pays an annual dividend while Berkshire pays zilch.
Where's The Cash?
Microsoft's mounting cash pile only highlights the tech sector's enormous financial flexibility. Four of the 10 S&P 500 companies with the most cash and equivalents and short-term investments are in the information technology sector. This single sector of the 10 in the S&P 500 (excluding financials) holds more than a third of all cash and short-term investments reported so far in the third quarter.
Only the communication services sector comes anywhere close with $231 billion. Much of that is Alphabet and Facebook (FB), with $52.3 billion. Many of these tech companies don't pay any dividend at all (yet).
Looks like Warren Buffett has competition for the fattest wallet.