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Investing.com - Bernstein SocGen Group has reiterated an Outperform rating on Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), currently trading near its 52-week high at $499.10 with a $3.71 trillion market cap, with a price target of $540.00, citing strong Azure cloud performance and strategic AI investments. According to InvestingPro analysis, the stock appears to be trading above its Fair Value.
The firm highlighted that Microsoft’s Azure cloud service accelerated to 35% constant currency growth in the recent quarter, with management guiding for continued strong performance next quarter with an additional 1% foreign exchange tailwind.
Bernstein noted that Microsoft’s capital expenditure growth has slowed as expected and will now grow at a rate slower than cloud revenue, creating a favorable financial outlook for the company.
The research firm pointed to Microsoft’s significant investments in artificial intelligence since approximately 2019, including building AI datacenters and developing its own chips, which have positioned the company to capitalize on both traditional CPU and GPU revenue streams.
According to Bernstein, Microsoft has successfully demonstrated its ability to drive both a cloud business and "the largest AI business" through high-quality generative AI inferencing and applications.
In other recent news, Microsoft has faced a delay in the development of its next-generation AI chip, code-named Braga, which is now expected to enter mass production in 2026 instead of 2025. This delay is attributed to design changes and staffing challenges, and it raises concerns about the chip’s competitiveness with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s upcoming products. Additionally, Microsoft has opened its first AI Co-Innovation Lab focused on manufacturing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, aiming to advance manufacturing innovation in Wisconsin. In another development, A10 Networks (NYSE:ATEN) has secured a significant partnership with Microsoft to provide security for its generative AI workloads, enhancing A10’s standing in the AI security market. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has called for AI privacy protections amid a lawsuit with The New York Times (NYSE:NYT), advocating for a concept he termed "AI privilege." Altman also reported having productive discussions with President Trump and a positive conversation with Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella. These developments reflect the ongoing focus and investment in AI technologies and infrastructure by major tech companies.
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