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Analysts Raise Price Targets for Microsoft on AI and Azure Growth

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An analyst has raised price targets for Microsoft and for an AI infrastructure company. A price target is an estimate of what a stock will be worth in the future. The higher targets suggest growing confidence in both companies' outlooks.

The analysis focuses on what to expect from Microsoft through the end of 2026, especially around its cloud platform, Azure. Azure is Microsoft's cloud computing service, which allows businesses to store data and run software online instead of on their own computers.

A key theme is Microsoft's capital expenditure, often called capex, on AI infrastructure. Capex refers to the large sums companies spend on physical assets like data centres and computer chips. Microsoft has been increasing this spending to support demand for AI services running on Azure.

As AI tools become more widely used, companies need more computing power to run them. Microsoft's heavy investment in this area is seen as a driver of future growth, which appears to be part of the reasoning behind the raised price targets.

The report also touches on what has been moving Microsoft's stock among bluechip stocks this week. Bluechip stocks are shares of large, financially stable, well-established companies, and Microsoft is considered one of the most closely watched examples.

While the summary does not give exact numbers for the new price targets, it signals that investors and analysts are paying close attention to how Azure growth and AI spending will shape Microsoft's performance over the next year.

Vocabulary9 words

analyst
a person who studies companies to predict their future
price targets
guesses about future stock prices
Azure
Microsoft's service for storing and running data online
cloud computing
using the internet to store data and run programs
capital expenditure
money spent on long-term equipment or buildings
capex
a short word for capital expenditure
AI infrastructure
the equipment and systems needed to run AI programs
bluechip stocks
shares of large, strong, well-known companies
investors
people who put money into companies hoping to earn more

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Quiz

1. What has the analyst done regarding Microsoft?
2. What is Azure described as in the article?
3. What is capex mainly spent on, according to the article?

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Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

An analyst has raised _____ for Microsoft and an AI infrastructure company.

A price target is an estimate of what a stock will be worth in the _____.

The analysis focuses on Microsoft through the end of _____.

Azure is Microsoft's _____ service.

A key theme is Microsoft's capital expenditure, often called _____.

Capex refers to large sums spent on physical assets like _____ and computer chips.

Microsoft has been increasing this spending to support demand for _____ services.

As AI tools become more widely used, companies need more _____ power.

The report touches on what has moved Microsoft's stock among _____ this week.

Discussion questions

  1. Why might rising AI demand lead companies like Microsoft to increase capital spending?
  2. What risks might come from spending heavily on AI infrastructure before knowing future demand?
  3. Why do investors pay close attention to bluechip stocks like Microsoft?
  4. How might Azure's performance affect Microsoft's overall business results?

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