Though companies like Apple Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have vastly different business models and skill sets, they have all become particularly adept at one activity: printing money.
In fact, high-tech firms in general now rank among the richest corporations, thanks to strong growth in earnings and operating cash flows over the last 12 months.
Four tech companies -- Apple, Microsoft, Cisco and Google now sit on the largest cash piles in the S&P 500, excluding financial-services firms. The numbers reflect the quarter ending March 31, with the exception of Cisco, which just reported results for the period ended May 1.
These four companies had a combined bank account nearing $147 billion -- enough to bail Greece out.
