The recent openAI saga – the ouster of Sam Altman and his dramatic comeback as the CEO of the ChatGPT creator startup, created some concerns about the impact of this uncertainty on Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) generative artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap. With this short-term disruption abating, analysts remain bullish on Microsoft stock, reinforcing their belief in the tech giant’s diversified business model and AI tailwinds.
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Analysts’ Bullish View on Microsoft
During the recent saga, many analysts expressed their concerns about the impact of the drama surrounding OpenAI’s management on the start-up’s collaboration with Microsoft and, consequently, its impact on Microsoft’s generative AI ambitions that are leveraging OpenAI’s technology.
For instance, prior to the reappointment of Altman as OpenAI’s CEO, UBS analyst Karl Keirstead highlighted that OpenAI underpins MSFT’s AI story. He opined that if OpenAI remains in turmoil and Microsoft’s internal ‘AltmanAI’ initiatives take time to deliver results, then “the risk profile of Microsoft’s AI story just went up materially.”
Nonetheless, with the chaos at OpenAI addressed to quite some extent now, we note that most analysts remain bullish on the stock. Following OpenAI’s announcement of the return of Altman and the appointment of a new Board, Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz said that this was clearly the desired outcome for the startup. He expects MSFT’s partnership with OpenAI to remain strong.
“Notwithstanding a more difficult operating environment,” Moskowitz remains confident that MSFT’s growth opportunities are greater than many realize, including significant Generative AI monetization. MSFT remains a top pick for Moskowitz. He reiterated a Buy rating with a price target of $420.
Another MSFT bull, TD Cowen analyst J. Derrick Wood, reaffirmed a Buy rating on MSFT stock last week, with a price target of $390. Following a survey by his firm, the analyst noted that Microsoft dominates the $53 billion Productivity Suite market with nearly 80% customer market share. While he believes that Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google could take share over time as it gains more usage from the younger generation, he highlighted that MSFT enjoys high customer satisfaction, a solid foothold in the enterprise space, and an effective bundling strategy.
Wood also pointed out many strengths of Microsoft, including an extensive breadth of products, substantial potential revenue opportunities from Copilot (MSFT’s new GenAI tool for its M365 suite), and a high possibility to increase Azure and MS365 bundling and gain Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) share.
Is MSFT Stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell?
Microsoft stock scores Wall Street’s Strong Buy consensus rating based on 32 Buys versus one Hold. The average price target for MSFT stock of $409.86 implies 8.3% upside potential. Shares have advanced 58% year-to-date.
Conclusion
The recent turmoil at ChatGPT creator OpenAI did cause some worries about the impact on Microsoft’s generative AI ambitions. With the matter now addressed, analysts continue to believe in Microsoft’s growth story.
