We recently published a list of Top 10 Latest AI Stock News and Analyst Ratings. Since Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) ranks 2nd on the list, it deserves a deeper look.
The much-feared correction in mega-cap tech stocks is here as investors keep pulling out of AI winners to pile into small-cap stocks as possible rate cuts from the Federal Reserve near. Brent Thill, Jefferies tech research analyst, recently said while talking to CNBC that we are seeing a rotation inside the tech industry where semiconductor and internet companies are performing well while software companies are underperforming. However, Thill reiterated his view that in the back half of the year things will start to change and tech companies will start their rebound. The analyst cited a few software earnings that suggest no signs of “demand cracks.” He said that many semiconductor stocks are now in the overbought territory.
Brent Thill said the selloff has made software stocks more “attractive.”
But Thill also sees a broader rotation ongoing in the stock market, where sectors like financials and industrials are benefitting amid investor exodus from tech.
Asked what is causing a sudden rebound in small-cap stocks, Thill said that interest rate cut expectations and a broader rotation out of mega-cap stocks have a role to play here, in addition to the M&A activity which has increased significantly recently.
Thill thinks the AI “payoff” time is still years away and companies are still at the beginning of the AI spending curve.
For this article we compiled the biggest AI news updates and analyst rating upgrades/downgrades around AI stocks over the past few days. With each stock we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 293
Brent Thill, Jefferies tech research analyst, while talking on CNBC about AI companies, said that of all AI companies, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is best positioned to begin monetizing AI. The analyst thinks companies are still “years” away from making money from AI.
“The ramp really begins in 2025, 2026. Microsoft is leading that pack. We think they are in a phenomenal position. It could be a low single-digit percent of their total revenue stream this year and grow going forward,” Thill said.
Thill also said in a separate interview that Microsoft is in “great shape” with its “Copilot strategy” for the back half of 2024.
Dan Ives of Wedbush also believes MSFT is one of the leaders in the AI enterprise segment.
New Street Research started covering the stock with a Buy rating. The firm said that Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) is well positioned to grow profit in the “low teens for years to come” even if the AI revolution fails to pan out. New Street Research has a $570 price target on Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT).
Analysts believe Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) AI ecosystem around its products would strengthen its Cloud division thanks to Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) integration of AI into its Cloud products.
Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) huge investments to revive its Search business are also working. Bing’s market share has jumped to 3.64% as of April 2024, a 0.88 points gain on a YoY basis.
Wall Street expects Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) earnings to grow 12.50% next year. The stock’s forward P/E of 31 based on 2025 EPS makes it look attractive at the current levels.
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“The top absolute contributors were Alphabet, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon. Microsoft was another top absolute contributor in the quarter, speaking to a growing appreciation for all the ways the company has an opportunity to monetize GenAI, be it in its Office suite or Azure cloud business. In the latter case, it contributed 7% to Azure’s revenue growth in the most recent quarter. We believe Microsoft remains a highly advantaged business with many secular tailwinds driving durable growth for the foreseeable future, even at its immense scale.”
Overall, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) ranks 2nd on Insider Monkey’s list titled Top 10 Latest AI Stock News and Analyst Ratings. While we acknowledge the potential of Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSFT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.