Microsoft (MSFT) "AI & Cloud Power Growth" - DBS Reaffirms Buy with $485 Price Target

We recently published a list of 10 AI Stocks in the News Today. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stands against other AI stocks in the news today.

The Trump administration may soon abandon the tiered approach to accessing advanced AI chips and replace it with a global licensing regime with government-to-government agreements. Developing such a structure would likely conform to President Donald Trump’s broader trade strategy of making deals with individual countries. The US would then have an easier time leveraging the American-designed chips in negotiations.

“There are some voices pushing for elimination of the tiers. I think it’s still a work in progress.” — -Wilbur Ross, who served as Commerce secretary during the first Trump administration.

Changes to the Biden-era rule will potentially limit global access to AI chips and the tiers that previously helped determine how many advanced semiconductors a country could obtain.

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Provided that the plans to change these rules follow through, these US chips would have the power to steer trade talks.  The rule, known as the Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion, was issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce in January. Companies must conform to its restrictions starting on May 15.

Other possible changes being considered in the Trump administration include a lower threshold for an exception to licensing. Currently, orders under the equivalent of about 1,700 of Nvidia’s H100 chips do not count toward country caps. Rather, the government needs to be notified of the order with no licence necessary.

The administration is considering making the cutoff orders under the equivalent of 500 H100 chips. All of these possible changes by the Trump administration aim to make the rules stronger yet simpler. However, a few experts are of the belief that removing the tiers would make the rule even more complicated.

Many companies and the industry as a whole don’t approve of the rule in the first place, stating that limiting access to chips would provoke countries to buy from China instead. Seven Republican senators even sent a letter to Lutnick, the United States Secretary of Commerce, in mid-April to have the rule withdrawn. The letter stated that the restrictions would incentivize buyers, especially in Tier 2 countries, to turn to China’s “unregulated cheap substitutes.”

For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. The hedge fund data is as of Q4 2024.

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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points  (see more details here).

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 317

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) provides AI-powered cloud, productivity, and business solutions, focusing on efficiency, security, and AI advancements. On May 5, Andy Yu CFA from DBS maintained a “Buy” rating on the stock with a price target of $485.00. Microsoft’s competitive edge stems from its robust product range and extensive market presence. In particular, its cloud-based office productivity software market is projected to grow significantly and bring in major revenue opportunities.

Moreover, Microsoft’s Azure platform is a key growth driver, which is also expected to contribute significantly to the company’s revenue. Its strategic investments in AI and dominance in the cybersecurity space further strengthen its position despite macroeconomic headwinds. The company’s acquisition of Activision is likely to enhance Microsoft’s performance in the PC segment as well. All of these factors contribute to the Buy rating for the stock.

Overall, MSFT ranks 2nd on our list of AI stocks in the news today. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. 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 this cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.