Microsoft's Valuation Soars To $2.6 Trillion, Fueled By AI Investments And Strong Performance

Microsoft, the renowned software and cloud computing giant, has reached a record high valuation of nearly $2.6 trillion, Reuters Reported.

Microsoft is seen as a leader in the adoption of AI technology in the software industry due to its substantial investment in OpenAI, the San Francisco-based startup that owns the enormously popular chatbot ChatGPT.

In an effort to challenge Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google's dominance, Microsoft began rolling out a raft of AI advancements, including ChatGPT, to Azure cloud services as well as its search engine Bing last month.

Microsoft's shares experienced a 3.2% surge on Thursday, reaching $348.10 per share. With a year-to-date gain of over 45%, the stock surpassed its previous high of $343.11 on November 19, 2021, and even reached an intraday peak of $349.67 on November 22, 2021.

Furthermore, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) shares closed at a record high of $186.01 on Thursday, while Nvidia (NVDA.O) shares established a new intraday record of $432.89.

JPMorgan analysts boosted their price target on Microsoft stock earlier Thursday, citing AI as a driver of demand for the company's products. According to Refinitiv data, 44 of the 53 analysts covering Microsoft suggested purchasing the stock, with a consensus price objective of $340.

"We reaffirm our bullish-outlier viewpoint on generative AI and continue to see it driving a resurgence of confidence in key software franchises," JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note to clients.