Microsoft reports quarterly loss after charge

MICROSOFT-EARNINGS:Microsoft reports quarterly loss after charge

Microsoft Corp reported its first quarterly loss as a public company on Thursday as it took a previously announced charge for writing down the value of its ailing online unit.

The world's largest software company reported a net loss of $492 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with a profit of $5.87 billion, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Sales rose 4 percent to $18 billion, dampened by slowing PC sales featuring its flagship Windows operating system.

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