REDMOND, Wa. – Microsoft’s CEO on Wednesday said the company is unlikely to raise its bid for Yahoo and is prepared to walk away from the deal.

Steve Ballmer, speaking at a conference in Milan, said, “We know what Yahoo’s worth. $44 billion is a lot of money,” according to a Dow Jones report published by CNET News.Com.

Ballmer added that Microsoft is “prepared to move forward alone, without Yahoo.”

Yahoo on Tuesday reported that its first-quarter net income increased dramatically and reported earnings per share of 11 cents, 2 cents above analyst estimates.

a>>