Microsoft (MSFT) Surpasses Expectations with Azure Cloud Growth

China International Capital Corporation (CICC) reported that Microsoft (MSFT, Financial) recently announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2025. The performance of Azure cloud services exceeded both CICC’s and market expectations, showcasing robust profitability growth.

CICC remains optimistic about Microsoft’s strategic synergy in the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) technology revolution. While maintaining its revenue and net profit forecasts for the 2025 fiscal year, CICC slightly increased its 2026 projections by 1.1% each, expecting revenues to reach $316.4 billion and net profits to hit $121.7 billion.

The brokerage continues to rate Microsoft as “outperform,” noting that with the potential continuous increase in cloud infrastructure supply in 2025, Microsoft is likely to strengthen its leadership position in the AI era with higher market share. The price target for Microsoft’s stock is raised by 10% to $460.