By Vivek Kumar Microsoft outpaced expectations for its third-quarter revenue and profit, unveiled on Thursday. This success was largely fueled by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across its cloud services, propelling its shares to surge by more than 4 per cent during extended trading. The tech giant’s revenue soared by 17 per cent from the previous year, reaching an impressive $61.9 billion, exceeding analysts’ projections of $60.80 billion. Earnings per share stood at $2.94, surpassing the target set by Wall Street at $2.82. “We reiterate our BUY rating on Microsoft and $500 pr…