** Cloud communications platform Twilio's TWLO.N shares gain 3.67% to $118.50 premarket
** Morgan Stanley upgrades rating on stock to "overweight" from "equal-weight"; raises PT to $160 from $144, implying upside of ~40% to stock's last close of $114.31
** MS notes positive feedback from partners and customers, highlighting Twilio's platform differentiation and improved go-to-market strategies
** Brokerage expects co to hit its margin targets a year early due to revenue growth, efficiency gains and AI use, while seeing more upside if AI adoption speeds up
** TWLO reported Q4 earnings after the bell last Thursday, missing Wall St estimates, after beating estimates for the previous three consecutive quarters
** Stock rated "buy" on avg; median PT is $155 - data compiled from LSEG
** TWLO up 5.76% so far this year, as of Friday's close
(Reporting by Rashika Singh in Bengaluru)
((rashika.singh@thomsonreuters.com))