MSFT Payout Ratio: current value, 10-year range and year-by-year history
Cash & Leverage
Payout Ratio History
MSFT Payout Ratio by year
Yearly range of MSFT’s payout ratio from 2016 to 2026. Over the full period it ranged from 27.9% to 42.2%, averaging 34.3%.
| Year | Low | Average | High | Year-end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35.5% | 37.6% | 39.6% | 39.6% |
| 2025 | 31.8% | 33.1% | 34.0% | 32.8% |
| 2024 | 29.6% | 30.9% | 32.8% | 32.8% |
| 2023 | 30.9% | 32.5% | 33.8% | 30.9% |
| 2022 | 27.9% | 29.2% | 31.8% | 31.8% |
| 2021 | 28.1% | 29.1% | 30.2% | 28.6% |
| 2020 | 31.6% | 32.8% | 34.3% | 31.6% |
| 2019 | 35.8% | 37.4% | 40.5% | 35.8% |
| 2018 | 37.6% | 40.0% | 41.9% | 41.9% |
| 2017 | 36.8% | 38.5% | 41.2% | 36.8% |
| 2016 | 41.8% | 42.0% | 42.2% | 41.8% |
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What fraction of free cash flow is paid out as dividends. More reliable than the earnings-based payout ratio because cash is harder to manipulate through accounting choices. Low ratio = room to grow the dividend and absorb an earnings dip. High ratio = dividend is consuming most of the cash generated.
TTM Dividends Per Share / (TTM FCF ÷ Shares) × 100%A steadily rising FCF payout ratio warrants scrutiny only if FCF itself is flat or falling — that means the company is paying out a larger slice of shrinking cash. A high but stable ratio in a capital-light business (e.g. consumer staples) can be perfectly sustainable.
- FCF can be lumpy: large one-off capex or working-capital swings distort a single year. Look at the multi-year trend rather than any single data point.
- Utilities and REITs naturally sustain 60–90% FCF payout ratios; industrials and tech companies typically run 20–50%. Always compare to sector context.
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