BNP Paribas Exane Lifts Price Target to $659, Microsoft Shares Rise 2.2%
BNP Paribas Exane raised its Microsoft price target from $632 to $659 with an outperform rating, driving a 2.2% intraday gain and 8% above-average 29.1 million share volume. Evercore ISI, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Raymond James and Wells Fargo also updated targets—supporting a Buy consensus and a $612.58 average objective.
1. Mid-Day Trading Surge After Analyst Upgrade
Microsoft shares climbed 2.2% in mid-day trading following BNP Paribas Exane’s upgrade of their price target from 632 to 659 and an outperform rating. Trading volume reached 29.1 million shares, marking an 8% increase over the 27.0 million average daily volume. This spike underscores heightened investor interest as the stock reacted positively to bullish broker commentary.
2. Diverse Broker Price Target Revisions
Several firms have recently updated their Microsoft price targets and ratings. Evercore ISI set a 640 objective, while Barclays lowered its target from 625 to 610 and maintained an overweight rating. Morgan Stanley raised its target from 625 to 650 with an overweight rating, whereas Raymond James Financial trimmed its target from 630 to 600 and kept an outperform rating. Wells Fargo cut its target from 665 to 630 yet retained an overweight assessment. Among sell-side analysts, three assign Strong Buy ratings, thirty-five assign Buy, and three assign Hold, resulting in a consensus Buy rating with an average target of 612.58.
3. Insider Selling Trends
Corporate insiders have sold 54,100 Microsoft shares worth 27.6 million over the last quarter, reducing their collective stake to just 0.03% of outstanding shares. Notable transactions include the sale of 38,500 shares by Bradford L. Smith at an average of 518.64 (proceeds of 19.97 million) and 12,750 shares by CEO Judson Althoff at an average of 491.52 (proceeds of 6.27 million). These dispositions represent ownership decreases of 7.7% and 8.97%, respectively.
4. AI Infrastructure and Cloud Momentum
Microsoft has accelerated its AI and cloud investments, unveiling the second-generation Maia 200 inference accelerator designed to lower inference cost and power consumption per query—key to improving Azure and Copilot margins as AI workloads scale. Additionally, the Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, board approved plans for 15 new data centers in a multi-billion-dollar project to expand capacity for growing AI demand, underpinning long-term Azure revenue growth. Analysts highlight robust Intelligent Cloud segment growth and rising copilot monetization as primary drivers ahead of quarterly results.