Tearsheet

Salesforce (CRM)


Market Price (3/21/2026): $195.99 | Market Cap: $183.3 Bil
Sector: Information Technology | Industry: Application Software

Salesforce (CRM)


Market Price (3/21/2026): $195.99
Market Cap: $183.3 Bil
Sector: Information Technology
Industry: Application Software

Investment Highlights Why It Matters Detailed financial logic regarding cash flow yields vs trend-riding momentum.

0 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 36%, FCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 35%, CFO LTM is 15 Bil, FCF LTM is 14 Bil
Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -60%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -59%
Key risks
CRM key risks include [1] intense competition from rival AI offerings hampering product demand and [2] significant cybersecurity threats targeting its vast repository of sensitive customer data.
1 Attractive yield
FCF Yield is 7.9%
  
2 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 35%
  
3 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, E-commerce & Digital Retail, and Digital Advertising. Show more.
  
0 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 36%, FCF/Rev LTMFree Cash Flow / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 35%, CFO LTM is 15 Bil, FCF LTM is 14 Bil
1 Attractive yield
FCF Yield is 7.9%
2 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 35%
3 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, E-commerce & Digital Retail, and Digital Advertising. Show more.
4 Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -60%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -59%
5 Key risks
CRM key risks include [1] intense competition from rival AI offerings hampering product demand and [2] significant cybersecurity threats targeting its vast repository of sensitive customer data.

Valuation, Metrics & Events

Price Chart

Why The Stock Moved

Qualitative Assessment

AI Analysis | Feedback

Salesforce (CRM) stock has lost about 15% since 11/30/2025 because of the following key factors:

1. Lower-than-Expected Fiscal Year 2027 Revenue Guidance.

Salesforce's stock experienced downward pressure following the release of its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on February 25, 2026, where despite an earnings beat (EPS of $3.81 against a $3.05 forecast, and revenue of $11.2 billion against an $11.18 billion forecast), the company issued a "soft" revenue outlook for fiscal year 2027. The projected fiscal year 2027 revenue guidance of $45.8 billion to $46.2 billion, implying 10% to 11% growth, fell below Wall Street's consensus expectation of approximately $46.06 billion.

2. Decelerating Growth in Core Segments and Overall Revenue.

Concerns over slowing growth contributed to the negative trend, particularly the deceleration in Salesforce's fundamental Sales Cloud segment, which saw its year-over-year growth slow to 8.4%. This, combined with the 10%-11% overall revenue growth projected for fiscal year 2027, amplified investor anxieties regarding the company's ability to sustain higher growth rates as it matures.

Show more

Stock Movement Drivers

Fundamental Drivers

The -15.1% change in CRM stock from 11/30/2025 to 3/20/2026 was primarily driven by a -25.8% change in the company's P/E Multiple.
(LTM values as of)113020253202026Change
Stock Price ($)230.17195.38-15.1%
Change Contribution By: 
Total Revenues ($ Mil)39,50241,5255.1%
Net Income Margin (%)16.9%18.0%6.5%
P/E Multiple33.024.5-25.8%
Shares Outstanding (Mil)9569352.2%
Cumulative Contribution-15.1%

LTM = Last Twelve Months as of date shown

Market Drivers

11/30/2025 to 3/20/2026
ReturnCorrelation
CRM-15.1% 
Market (SPY)-4.8%23.7%
Sector (XLK)-5.5%29.1%

Fundamental Drivers

The -23.5% change in CRM stock from 8/31/2025 to 3/20/2026 was primarily driven by a -38.0% change in the company's P/E Multiple.
(LTM values as of)83120253202026Change
Stock Price ($)255.39195.38-23.5%
Change Contribution By: 
Total Revenues ($ Mil)38,59141,5257.6%
Net Income Margin (%)16.1%18.0%11.7%
P/E Multiple39.524.5-38.0%
Shares Outstanding (Mil)9609352.7%
Cumulative Contribution-23.5%

LTM = Last Twelve Months as of date shown

Market Drivers

8/31/2025 to 3/20/2026
ReturnCorrelation
CRM-23.5% 
Market (SPY)1.1%26.5%
Sector (XLK)3.2%30.6%

Fundamental Drivers

The -34.0% change in CRM stock from 2/28/2025 to 3/20/2026 was primarily driven by a -48.6% change in the company's P/E Multiple.
(LTM values as of)22820253202026Change
Stock Price ($)295.92195.38-34.0%
Change Contribution By: 
Total Revenues ($ Mil)37,18941,52511.7%
Net Income Margin (%)16.0%18.0%12.5%
P/E Multiple47.724.5-48.6%
Shares Outstanding (Mil)9569352.2%
Cumulative Contribution-34.0%

LTM = Last Twelve Months as of date shown

Market Drivers

2/28/2025 to 3/20/2026
ReturnCorrelation
CRM-34.0% 
Market (SPY)10.4%54.0%
Sector (XLK)20.5%55.1%

Fundamental Drivers

The 20.9% change in CRM stock from 2/28/2023 to 3/20/2026 was primarily driven by a 1856.9% change in the company's Net Income Margin (%).
(LTM values as of)22820233202026Change
Stock Price ($)161.65195.3820.9%
Change Contribution By: 
Total Revenues ($ Mil)30,29441,52537.1%
Net Income Margin (%)0.9%18.0%1856.9%
P/E Multiple579.724.5-95.8%
Shares Outstanding (Mil)9979356.6%
Cumulative Contribution20.9%

LTM = Last Twelve Months as of date shown

Market Drivers

2/28/2023 to 3/20/2026
ReturnCorrelation
CRM20.9% 
Market (SPY)70.3%51.0%
Sector (XLK)102.2%51.5%

Return vs. Risk

Price Returns Compared

 202120222023202420252026Total [1]
Returns
CRM Return14%-48%98%28%-20%-26%-11%
Peers Return37%-34%70%24%-12%-26%25%
S&P 500 Return27%-19%24%23%16%-3%76%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
CRM Win Rate58%33%50%67%42%33% 
Peers Win Rate60%30%67%58%37%13% 
S&P 500 Win Rate75%42%67%75%67%33% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
CRM Max Drawdown-8%-50%0%-17%-32%-33% 
Peers Max Drawdown-11%-45%-5%-13%-30%-32% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-1%-25%-1%-2%-15%-3% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2021
[2] Peers: MSFT, ORCL, ADBE, NOW, HUBS. See CRM Returns vs. Peers.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2026 data is for the year up to 3/20/2026 (YTD)

How Low Can It Go

Unique KeyEventCRMS&P 500
2022 Inflation Shock2022 Inflation Shock  
2022 Inflation Shock% Loss% Loss-58.6%-25.4%
2022 Inflation Shock% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven141.6%34.1%
2022 Inflation ShockTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven441 days464 days
2020 Covid Pandemic2020 Covid Pandemic  
2020 Covid Pandemic% Loss% Loss-35.7%-33.9%
2020 Covid Pandemic% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven55.6%51.3%
2020 Covid PandemicTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven112 days148 days
2018 Correction2018 Correction  
2018 Correction% Loss% Loss-24.8%-19.8%
2018 Correction% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven32.9%24.7%
2018 CorrectionTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven84 days120 days
2008 Global Financial Crisis2008 Global Financial Crisis  
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Loss% Loss-70.5%-56.8%
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven238.9%131.3%
2008 Global Financial CrisisTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven405 days1,480 days

Compare to MSFT, ORCL, ADBE, NOW, HUBS

In The Past

Salesforce's stock fell -58.6% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 11/8/2021. A -58.6% loss requires a 141.6% gain to breakeven.

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About Salesforce (CRM)

Salesforce, Inc. provides customer relationship management technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. Its Customer 360 platform empowers its customers to work together to deliver connected experiences for their customers. The company's service offerings include Sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and relationship intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and Service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer service and support at scale. Its service offerings also comprise flexible platform that enables companies of various sizes, locations, and industries to build business apps to bring them closer to their customers with drag-and-drop tools; online learning platform that allows anyone to learn in-demand Salesforce skills; and Slack, a system of engagement. In addition, the company's service offerings include Marketing offering that enables companies to plan, personalize, and optimize one-to-one customer marketing journeys; and Commerce offering, which empowers brands to unify the customer experience across mobile, web, social, and store commerce points. Further, its service offerings comprise Tableau, an end-to-end analytics solution serving various enterprise use cases; and MuleSoft, an integration offering that allows its customers to unlock data across their enterprise. The company provides its service offering for customers in financial services, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing, and other industries. It also offers professional services; and in-person and online courses to certify its customers and partners on architecting, administering, deploying, and developing its service offerings. The company provides its services through direct sales; and consulting firms, systems integrators, and other partners. Salesforce, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

AI Analysis | Feedback

  • Salesforce is like SAP for customer relationships, providing a comprehensive cloud platform instead of ERP.
  • Salesforce is like Oracle for a company's sales, service, and marketing departments, offering an integrated suite of cloud-based applications.

AI Analysis | Feedback

  • Sales Cloud: Enables businesses to store data, monitor leads, forecast opportunities, and manage quotes and contracts.
  • Service Cloud: Provides tools for delivering trusted and highly personalized customer service and support at scale.
  • Salesforce Platform: Offers a flexible platform with drag-and-drop tools for building custom business applications.
  • Trailhead (Online Learning Platform): Allows individuals to learn in-demand Salesforce skills and earn certifications.
  • Slack: A comprehensive system of engagement for team communication and collaboration.
  • Marketing Cloud: Helps companies plan, personalize, and optimize one-to-one customer marketing journeys.
  • Commerce Cloud: Empowers brands to unify the customer experience across mobile, web, social, and physical store commerce points.
  • Tableau: An end-to-end analytics solution for various enterprise use cases.
  • MuleSoft: An integration offering designed to unlock data across an enterprise.

AI Analysis | Feedback

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AI Analysis | Feedback

  • Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)
  • Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
  • Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

AI Analysis | Feedback

Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO

Marc Benioff is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Salesforce. He graduated from the University of Southern California and began his career at Oracle Corporation, where he became its youngest vice president at 26 years old during his 13-year tenure. Benioff demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit early on, founding Liberty Software at age 15 to create and sell video games, which helped fund his college education. He co-founded Salesforce in 1999, envisioning a cloud-based platform for customer relationship management, a radical departure from traditional on-premises software. Benioff is also the owner of Time magazine since 2018 and has established Time Ventures, a venture capital fund.

Robin Washington, President and Chief Operating and Financial Officer (COFO)

Robin Washington became President and Chief Operating and Financial Officer (COFO) of Salesforce, effective March 21, 2025, a newly created role combining operational and financial leadership. She has a significant history with Salesforce, having served on its Board of Directors since 2013, and as Lead Independent Director from 2022 until March 2025. Prior to her current role, Washington held several prominent finance positions, including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Gilead Sciences (2008–2019), CFO at Hyperion Solutions (2006–2007), and Chief Accounting Officer at PeopleSoft. She is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the boards of other major companies, including Alphabet Inc., Eikon Therapeutics, Honeywell International, and Vertiv Holdings Co.

Parker Harris, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Parker Harris is a co-founder of Salesforce and currently serves as its Chief Technology Officer. He is instrumental in defining Salesforce's technology vision, overseeing its architecture, and leading the engineering teams for products like Slack. Before co-founding Salesforce, Harris co-founded Left Coast Software and contributed to field sales automation at Metropolis Software.

David Schmaier, President and Chief Strategy Officer

David Schmaier is the President and Chief Strategy Officer at Salesforce. He spearheads strategic priorities including M&A and venture capital, and oversees stakeholder capitalism and corporate philanthropy efforts. Schmaier joined Salesforce through the acquisition of Vlocity, where he was the Co-Founder and CEO from 2014 to 2020. Before Vlocity, he was a founding executive and Executive Vice President at Siebel Systems. He also serves as a strategic advisory board member for Genstar Capital, a private equity firm.

Sabastian Niles, President and Chief Legal Officer

Sabastian Niles is the President and Chief Legal Officer at Salesforce, a position he assumed in 2023. He leads the company's global legal and corporate affairs, including government affairs, public policy, and the Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology and Responsible AI. Prior to joining Salesforce, Niles was a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he specialized in advising global companies on corporate governance, enterprise risk oversight, stakeholder and shareholder affairs, strategic investments, and mergers and acquisitions.

AI Analysis | Feedback

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Key Risks to Salesforce (CRM)

  1. Intensifying Competition and AI Disruption: Salesforce faces significant risks from an aggressive AI "arms race" with well-funded technology giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, who are embedding advanced AI capabilities directly into their competing platforms. This could potentially erode Salesforce's unique value proposition and market dominance in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector. There's also a threat from AI-first approaches that could entirely bypass traditional CRM systems, as some organizations might view AI as capable of managing customer relationships without dedicated CRM infrastructure. While Salesforce is heavily investing in AI, there's an execution risk, and the monetization of these investments may take time to translate into significant revenue contributions, contributing to investor unease about future AI-driven growth and competitive pressure.
  2. Cybersecurity Risks and Data Privacy/Compliance: Salesforce environments, which often house sensitive organizational data, are prime targets for cyberattacks. Key cybersecurity threats include data exposure due to complex permission models, sensitive data residing in inappropriate locations, API connection vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and a disconnect between Salesforce administrators and security teams. Recent significant cyberattacks, particularly those exploiting third-party integrations and misconfigured guest user profiles, underscore the ongoing and evolving nature of these threats. Furthermore, increasing global data privacy regulations, such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA, create complex operational challenges and compliance costs for Salesforce. Failure to adhere to these evolving regulatory requirements can lead to substantial fines, legal actions, reputational damage, and a loss of customer trust.
  3. Slowing Revenue Growth and Macroeconomic Headwinds: Salesforce has experienced a deceleration in its revenue growth, with recent guidance suggesting a slowdown. This trend is partly attributed to cautious enterprise spending in an uncertain economic environment, where businesses are elongating purchase cycles and scrutinizing budgets more closely. Ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions can further affect overall enterprise IT spending, directly impacting Salesforce's growth. The company's reliance on a subscription-based revenue model means it must continuously deliver value and innovate to retain customers, as any significant customer attrition or lower renewal rates could impact its financial stability.
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AI Analysis | Feedback

Microsoft's accelerating integration of advanced AI capabilities (such as through its Copilot offerings) across its extensive enterprise ecosystem, including Dynamics 365, Office 365, and Azure, presents a clear emerging threat. This strategy aims to provide a unified, AI-powered business platform that could challenge Salesforce's comprehensive Customer 360 platform by offering an alternative 'all-in-one' solution for customers seeking deeply integrated productivity, collaboration, and CRM functionalities from a single vendor.

AI Analysis | Feedback

Here are the addressable market sizes for Salesforce's main products or services:

  • Sales Cloud (CRM Software): The global Customer Relationship Management (CRM) market size was valued at approximately USD 112.91 billion in 2025.
  • Service Cloud (Customer Service Software): The global customer service software market is projected to reach USD 51.3 billion in 2025.
  • Platform (Low-Code Application Development Platform): The global low-code development platform market is estimated to be valued at USD 35.2 billion in 2025.
  • Slack (Collaboration Software): The global team collaboration software market size was USD 27.89 billion in 2025.
  • Marketing Cloud (Marketing Automation Software): The global marketing automation software market size was valued at USD 11.42 billion in 2024.
  • Commerce Cloud (E-commerce Platform): The global e-commerce platform market size was estimated at USD 9.40 billion in 2024.
  • Tableau (Business Intelligence & Analytics): The global business intelligence software market size was estimated at USD 40.13 billion in 2025.
  • MuleSoft (Integration Platform as a Service - iPaaS): The global integration platform as a service (iPaaS) market size was valued at USD 15.63 billion in 2025.

AI Analysis | Feedback

Salesforce (CRM) is expected to drive future revenue growth over the next two to three years through several key strategies:

  1. Expansion and Monetization of AI-Driven Products: A primary driver is the continued growth and monetization of Salesforce's artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, particularly Agentforce and Data Cloud. Agentforce has demonstrated significant annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth and is central to Salesforce's vision of becoming the "Agentic Enterprise," integrating AI across sales, service, marketing, and Slack. The company is actively monetizing AI through premium SKUs, new seat additions, and flexible credits for agentic use cases.
  2. Enhanced Cross-Selling and Platform Adoption: Salesforce is focused on deepening customer relationships by expanding the adoption of its comprehensive Customer 360 platform and various cloud offerings. The company emphasizes delivering a full suite of its clouds, with a notable increase in deals that include six or more clouds. This strategy aims to increase average revenue per user (ARPU) by cross-selling Data Cloud, Service, and Slack.
  3. Strategic Acquisitions: Future revenue growth is also anticipated from strategic acquisitions. The Informatica acquisition, completed in late 2025, is expected to be accretive to the Data Cloud segment starting in fiscal year 2027 and act as a catalyst for growth. Salesforce plans to continue with disciplined, AI-centric "tuck-in" acquisitions with clear cross-sell paths.
  4. Targeted Customer and Market Expansion: Salesforce is expanding its customer base by targeting new segments, such as small businesses, through solutions like Salesforce Starter, which bundles sales, service, marketing, AI, and Data Cloud. Additionally, the company is investing in international expansion, increasing local cloud infrastructure, and democratizing CRM access in high-growth regions like Asia-Pacific.
  5. Optimized Pricing and Packaging: Salesforce's evolving pricing and packaging strategy is designed to drive higher sales and deliver increased value to companies of all sizes and industries. This approach contributes to revenue growth by optimizing how its products and services are offered to the market.

AI Analysis | Feedback

Capital Allocation Decisions for Salesforce (CRM)

Share Repurchases

  • Salesforce announced a $50 billion share repurchase program in February 2026, which replaced all prior authorizations.
  • In March 2026, the company entered into accelerated share repurchase agreements totaling $25 billion, funded by the sale of senior notes.
  • Over the three years leading up to February 2026, Salesforce repurchased $28 billion in shares.

Share Issuance

  • Salesforce's annual "Shares Issued" amounted to approximately $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2025.
  • The quarterly value for "Shares Issued" was $239.0 million in Q4 2025.
  • The company's annual shares outstanding have generally decreased over the last few years, from 981 million in 2023 to 962 million in 2025.

Outbound Investments

  • Salesforce plans to invest $15 billion in San Francisco over five years starting from October 2025, primarily to establish a new AI Incubator Hub and foster the AI ecosystem.
  • Key acquisitions include Informatica for $8 billion (definitive agreement signed in 2025), Own Company for $1.9 billion (November 2024), and Zoomin for $450 million (January 2025).
  • The company also acquired Slack for $27.7 billion in December 2020, significantly enhancing its collaboration capabilities.

Capital Expenditures

  • Salesforce's capital expenditures were -$717 million in fiscal year 2022, -$798 million in fiscal year 2023, -$736 million in fiscal year 2024, -$658 million in fiscal year 2025, and -$594 million in fiscal year 2026.
  • Capital expenditures averaged $652.3 million annually from fiscal years ending January 2021 to 2025, peaking at $730.5 million in January 2023.

Better Bets vs. Salesforce (CRM)

Latest Trefis Analyses

Trade Ideas

Select ideas related to CRM.

Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
BMI_2282026_Insider_Buying_45D_2Buy_200K02282026BMIBadger MeterInsiderInsider Buys 45DStrong Insider Buying
Companies with multiple insider buys in the last 45 days
0.0%0.0%0.0%
VRNS_2282026_Insider_Buying_45D_2Buy_200K02282026VRNSVaronis SystemsInsiderInsider Buys 45DStrong Insider Buying
Companies with multiple insider buys in the last 45 days
0.0%0.0%0.0%
ITRI_2272026_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield02272026ITRIItronDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
0.0%0.0%0.0%
FSLR_2272026_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy02272026FSLRFirst SolarDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
0.0%0.0%0.0%
PEGA_2272026_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy02272026PEGAPegasystemsDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
0.0%0.0%0.0%
CRM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025CRMSalesforceDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
-14.1%-14.1%-21.4%

Recent Active Movers

Peer Comparisons

Peers to compare with:

Financials

CRMMSFTORCLADBENOWHUBSMedian
NameSalesfor.MicrosoftOracle Adobe ServiceN.HubSpot  
Mkt Price195.38381.87149.68248.15110.38258.81221.76
Mkt Cap182.72,837.7430.2103.5114.713.6148.7
Rev LTM41,525305,45364,07723,76913,2783,13132,647
Op Inc LTM8,917142,55920,6788,7061,824118,812
FCF LTM14,40277,412-24,7369,8524,5335777,192
FCF 3Y Avg12,11171,629-2,2228,2223,5364325,879
CFO LTM14,996160,50623,51410,0315,44476112,514
CFO 3Y Avg12,774129,57920,8338,4634,37057010,618

Growth & Margins

CRMMSFTORCLADBENOWHUBSMedian
NameSalesfor.MicrosoftOracle Adobe ServiceN.HubSpot  
Rev Chg LTM9.6%16.7%14.9%10.5%20.9%19.2%15.8%
Rev Chg 3Y Avg9.8%14.4%10.2%10.5%22.4%21.9%12.5%
Rev Chg Q12.1%16.7%21.7%10.5%20.7%20.4%18.6%
QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM3.0%4.0%5.0%2.5%4.8%4.8%4.4%
Op Mgn LTM21.5%46.7%32.3%36.6%13.7%0.4%26.9%
Op Mgn 3Y Avg19.6%45.3%31.2%35.6%11.5%-2.3%25.4%
QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM-0.6%0.4%0.3%0.4%-0.1%1.9%0.4%
CFO/Rev LTM36.1%52.5%36.7%42.2%41.0%24.3%38.8%
CFO/Rev 3Y Avg33.3%48.5%36.2%39.1%39.2%21.1%37.7%
FCF/Rev LTM34.7%25.3%-38.6%41.4%34.1%18.4%29.7%
FCF/Rev 3Y Avg31.6%27.2%-1.6%37.9%31.7%15.9%29.4%

Valuation

CRMMSFTORCLADBENOWHUBSMedian
NameSalesfor.MicrosoftOracle Adobe ServiceN.HubSpot  
Mkt Cap182.72,837.7430.2103.5114.713.6148.7
P/S4.49.36.74.48.64.35.6
P/EBIT20.519.019.111.550.2193.019.8
P/E24.523.826.514.565.6295.725.5
P/CFO12.217.718.310.321.117.817.8
Total Yield4.7%5.1%5.1%6.9%1.5%0.3%4.9%
Dividend Yield0.7%0.9%1.3%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.3%
FCF Yield 3Y Avg4.5%2.3%0.4%4.4%2.1%1.6%2.2%
D/E0.10.00.40.10.00.00.0
Net D/E0.0-0.00.30.0-0.0-0.1-0.0

Returns

CRMMSFTORCLADBENOWHUBSMedian
NameSalesfor.MicrosoftOracle Adobe ServiceN.HubSpot  
1M Rtn4.0%-4.2%-4.2%-5.7%2.4%3.5%-0.9%
3M Rtn-24.8%-21.2%-21.8%-30.3%-28.9%-33.5%-26.9%
6M Rtn-20.8%-26.0%-51.3%-32.2%-42.6%-50.1%-37.4%
12M Rtn-29.5%-0.5%-1.0%-36.3%-33.0%-56.7%-31.3%
3Y Rtn4.8%42.8%77.2%-33.7%23.9%-35.5%14.4%
1M Excs Rtn10.6%1.0%0.8%0.9%8.0%13.3%4.5%
3M Excs Rtn-21.1%-16.4%-12.7%-26.8%-26.3%-30.0%-23.7%
6M Excs Rtn-18.0%-22.7%-47.4%-30.6%-39.9%-47.7%-35.2%
12M Excs Rtn-44.3%-15.4%-15.5%-50.7%-49.3%-71.9%-46.8%
3Y Excs Rtn-59.1%-19.9%19.8%-92.8%-36.5%-101.0%-47.8%

Comparison Analyses

Financials

Segment Financials

Revenue by Segment
$ Mil20262025202420232022
Agentforce Service9,0548,2457,3696,4745,377
Agentforce Sales8,3227,5806,8315,9895,191
Agentforce 360 Platform, Slack and Other7,2476,6115,9674,5093,324
Agentforce Integration and Agentforce Analytics5,7755,1894,3383,7832,951
Agentforce Marketing and Agentforce Commerce5,2814,9124,5163,9023,133
Professional services and other2,2162,3202,3311,8351,276
Total37,89534,85731,35226,49221,252


Price Behavior

Price Behavior
Market Price$195.38 
Market Cap ($ Bil)185.2 
First Trading Date06/23/2004 
Distance from 52W High-32.6% 
   50 Days200 Days
DMA Price$206.06$240.50
DMA Trenddowndown
Distance from DMA-5.2%-18.8%
 3M1YR
Volatility40.1%34.8%
Downside Capture186.28132.15
Upside Capture59.5874.97
Correlation (SPY)27.0%52.7%
CRM Betas & Captures as of 2/28/2026

 1M2M3M6M1Y3Y
Beta1.761.621.421.091.031.16
Up Beta0.631.580.670.840.961.02
Down Beta0.160.360.290.690.981.16
Up Capture172%90%166%79%74%149%
Bmk +ve Days9203170142431
Stock +ve Days9152961127391
Down Capture323%316%241%165%125%107%
Bmk -ve Days12213054109320
Stock -ve Days12263263124361

[1] Upside and downside betas calculated using positive and negative benchmark daily returns respectively
Based On 1-Year Data
Annualized
Return
Annualized
Volatility
Sharpe
Ratio
Correlation
with CRM
CRM-29.7%34.7%-0.96-
Sector ETF (XLK)26.6%26.6%0.8653.6%
Equity (SPY)15.8%18.9%0.6452.5%
Gold (GLD)48.2%27.0%1.45-8.0%
Commodities (DBC)17.8%17.4%0.837.4%
Real Estate (VNQ)1.0%16.4%-0.1126.6%
Bitcoin (BTCUSD)-19.0%44.2%-0.3521.9%

Smart multi-asset allocation framework can stack odds in your favor. Learn How
Based On 5-Year Data
Annualized
Return
Annualized
Volatility
Sharpe
Ratio
Correlation
with CRM
CRM-1.5%35.8%0.04-
Sector ETF (XLK)16.2%24.6%0.5962.9%
Equity (SPY)11.8%17.0%0.5461.0%
Gold (GLD)20.7%17.5%0.972.9%
Commodities (DBC)10.9%19.0%0.468.6%
Real Estate (VNQ)2.8%18.8%0.0638.4%
Bitcoin (BTCUSD)4.7%56.7%0.3027.0%

Smart multi-asset allocation framework can stack odds in your favor. Learn How
Based On 10-Year Data
Annualized
Return
Annualized
Volatility
Sharpe
Ratio
Correlation
with CRM
CRM10.7%34.6%0.39-
Sector ETF (XLK)21.6%24.2%0.8267.3%
Equity (SPY)14.2%17.9%0.6863.0%
Gold (GLD)13.3%15.7%0.703.9%
Commodities (DBC)8.3%17.6%0.3916.5%
Real Estate (VNQ)5.0%20.7%0.2140.0%
Bitcoin (BTCUSD)66.9%66.8%1.0619.1%

Smart multi-asset allocation framework can stack odds in your favor. Learn How

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date2272026
Short Interest: Shares Quantity21.9 Mil
Short Interest: % Change Since 215202614.8%
Average Daily Volume15.5 Mil
Days-to-Cover Short Interest1.4 days
Basic Shares Quantity935.0 Mil
Short % of Basic Shares2.3%

Earnings Returns History

Expand for More
 Forward Returns
Earnings Date1D Returns5D Returns21D Returns
2/25/20264.0%0.7% 
12/3/20253.7%10.7%10.3%
9/3/2025-4.9%-5.4%-6.7%
5/28/2025-3.3%-4.7%-0.8%
2/26/2025-4.0%-5.0%-9.6%
12/3/202411.0%5.2%0.6%
8/28/2024-0.7%-4.9%7.0%
5/29/2024-19.7%-12.9%-5.3%
...
SUMMARY STATS   
# Positive121112
# Negative121311
Median Positive4.7%5.2%7.7%
Median Negative-4.8%-6.3%-7.8%
Max Positive26.0%30.2%17.5%
Max Negative-19.7%-18.6%-18.3%

SEC Filings

Expand for More
Report DateFiling DateFiling
01/31/202603/02/202610-K
10/31/202512/04/202510-Q
07/31/202509/04/202510-Q
04/30/202505/29/202510-Q
01/31/202503/05/202510-K
10/31/202412/04/202410-Q
07/31/202408/29/202410-Q
04/30/202405/30/202410-Q
01/31/202403/06/202410-K
10/31/202311/30/202310-Q
07/31/202308/31/202310-Q
04/30/202306/01/202310-Q
01/31/202303/08/202310-K
10/31/202212/01/202210-Q
07/31/202208/25/202210-Q
04/30/202206/01/202210-Q

Insider Activity

Expand for More
#OwnerTitleHoldingActionFiling DatePriceSharesTransacted
Value
Value of
Held Shares
Form
1Kirk, David Blair DirectBuy12182025258.641,936500,7222,761,473Form
2Morfit, G Mason See footnotesBuy12082025260.5896,00025,015,680780,309,155Form
3Harris, ParkerCo-Founder and CTO, SlackDirectSell12032025234.70134,66231,605,03132,803,170Form
4Benioff, MarcChair and CEODirectSell11042025259.0012231,5983,085,142,836Form
5Benioff, MarcChair and CEODirectSell11032025258.202,250580,9403,075,513,543Form

CRM Trade Sentinel


Stock Conviction

ACCUMULATE (Score 7-8)

CONVICTION RATIONALE

The risk/reward is attractive. The Probability-Adjusted Skew of 1.77x indicates a favorable asymmetric bet. While the moat is contested by a formidable competitor (Microsoft), the powerful secular tailwind of enterprise AI adoption provides a strong margin of safety. The company is successfully executing its pivot to a new growth driver, which the market has not fully priced in, creating a buyable opportunity.

STOCK ARCHETYPE
High-Beta Compounder

While the core CRM business is maturing, the investment thesis is now dominated by the hyper-growth AI/Data product cycle (Agentforce & Data 360), which is growing at triple digits. The focus is on the durability of this new growth vector and defending its moat against Microsoft, which aligns with the 'High-Beta Compounder' framework.

INVESTMENT THESIS
Agentforce & Data 360 Consumption Ramp Offsetting Core Seat Deceleration

The investment thesis hinges on the company's ability to cross-sell its new, high-growth AI and Data Cloud services into its massive installed base, creating an accretive, consumption-based revenue stream that re-accelerates overall company growth and expands margins, even as the core 'per-seat' CRM business matures.

Mechanism: Salesforce captures value via consumption-based pricing on AI interactions and data processing, which scales with customer usage and automation ROI, shifting the monetization model from a fixed 'per-seat' fee to a variable, high-growth usage fee.
Supporting Evidence:
  • Agentforce & Data 360 combined ARR reached nearly $1.4 billion, growing at an explosive 114% YoY in Q3 FY26.
  • All of the top 10 deals in Q4 FY25 included a Data and AI component, indicating successful bundling and adoption at the highest enterprise level.
  • Company raised FY26 revenue guidance, suggesting near-term confidence in this new growth driver.
PRIMARY RISK
Microsoft Dynamics/Copilot 'Good Enough' Bundle Erosion in the Enterprise

The primary risk is that Microsoft successfully leverages its existing enterprise footprint (Microsoft 365, Azure) to bundle a 'good enough' AI-powered CRM (Dynamics 365 + Copilot) at a lower Total Cost of Ownership, causing Salesforce to lose deals, face pricing pressure, and cede market share in its core 'Platform Consolidator' segment.

Mechanism: The thesis breaks if customers who are already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem choose the integrated, lower-friction option, leading to slowing new logo acquisition, higher churn, and an inability for Salesforce to execute its price increases and cross-sell strategy.
Supporting Evidence:
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 revenue grew 19% in its latest quarter, outpacing Salesforce's core subscription growth of 10%.
  • Microsoft is aggressively bundling its AI-powered Copilot for Sales with Dynamics 365 and the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem, with new features rolling out in February 2026.
Key KPI Watchlist
KPI Threshold Rationale
Agentforce & Data 360 ARR Growth> 80% YoYThis is the primary driver of the bull thesis. Sustained hyper-growth is required to re-accelerate total company revenue and justify the premium valuation. A drop below this level would signal maturation of the new growth engine.
Current Remaining Performance Obligations (cRPO) Growth> 12% YoYThis is the best leading indicator for near-term revenue. The current 11% growth lags peers. It must accelerate, as guided by management, to confirm that the new AI products are lifting the overall business, not just offsetting core weakness.
Core Cloud Revenue Growth (Sales + Service)Stabilization > 7% YoYWhile the focus is on AI, the core clouds are the cash engine. A deceleration below 7% would indicate that the 'AI Cannibalization' or 'Competitive/Share' risks are materializing faster than expected, threatening the funding of the new initiatives.
Core Investment Debate

AI Growth Engine vs. Core Platform Saturation

BULL VIEW

The 114% YoY growth in Agentforce & Data 360 ARR is the start of a new, high-margin S-curve, justifying a premium valuation and offsetting any core business moderation.

CORE TENSION

Can the new, high-growth AI/Data products re-accelerate overall growth before the mature, core CRM clouds (Sales, Service) succumb to market saturation and competitive pressure?


PREVAILING SENTIMENT
BULLISH

Market reacted positively to Q3 FY26 earnings, focusing on the nearly $1.4B ARR from Agentforce & Data 360 (+114% YoY) and raised FY26 guidance, despite slower core cloud growth.

BEAR VIEW

Core cloud deceleration (Marketing +1% YoY) is a structural drag. The new AI business is too small and its consumption model too volatile to carry the company's growth story.

Next 6 months: Risks and Catalysts
Timeline Event & Metric To Watch
Late Feb / Early Mar 2026
Q4 FY26 Earnings Call & FY27 Guidance
Watch: Growth rate delta between AI/Data ARR vs. core Sales/Service cloud revenue. Any FY27 revenue guidance below ~8% would be a major negative.
Ongoing (Key Update July 2026)
Microsoft's Copilot Bundle Update
Watch: Commentary on Salesforce's earnings call regarding competitive win rates against Microsoft Dynamics, or any announcements of defensive discounting.
Ongoing (Next 2-4 Quarters)
Major Enterprise Layoff Announcements
Watch: Large-scale, AI-driven headcount reduction announcements in sales or service departments from major Salesforce customers (e.g., G2000 tech/finance firms).
Anytime (Next 6 Months)
EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) Scrutiny
Watch: Announcement of a formal investigation by the European Commission into Salesforce's platform practices under the 'gatekeeper' designation.
Key Events in Last 6 Months
Date Event Stock Impact
8/11/2025
52-Week Low
Details: Stock hit a 52-week low, reflecting broad market weakness in the software sector and concerns over decelerating growth in its core business ahead of Q2 earnings.
Fell notably by -3.3%
$239.70 -> $231.90
8/1/2025
Announced Price Increases
Details: Salesforce announced an average 6% price increase on core products, effective August 2025. The move signals pricing power but the stock saw a negative reaction on the day.
Fell notably by -2.9%
$257.46 -> $249.90
9/3/2025
Q2 FY26 Earnings Release
Details: The company reported its Q2 results, raising its full-year revenue and operating margin guidance. Despite the positive outlook, the stock declined in the following session. [7, 8]
Fell notably by -4.8%
$255.59 -> $243.19
10/14/2025
Dreamforce 2025 Conference
Details: Annual user conference held from Oct 14-16, showcasing innovations in AI and Data Cloud. The event typically creates positive buzz but had a muted stock reaction this year. [18, 25]
Slight -1.3% pullback
$239.38 -> $236.19
11/18/2025
Completed Acquisition of Informatica
Details: Salesforce announced the completion of its Informatica acquisition to bolster its Data Cloud and AI capabilities, creating a unified data foundation for its Agentforce platform. [15, 28]
Slight -1.5% pullback
$236.64 -> $233.12
12/3/2025
Q3 FY26 Earnings Release
Details: Reported Q3 revenue of $10.26B (missing est. of $10.27B) but beat EPS ($3.25 vs $2.86 est). Raised FY26 revenue guidance. Stock rose on strong profitability and AI momentum. [2, 5]
Rose significantly by 3.7%
$238.33 -> $247.06
Risk Management
Position Sizing

4%-6%

NORMAL

Stock is in an Explosive Volatility regime (3.18x S&P) with Spiking near-term risk. While the AI growth thesis is compelling (Bullish Sentiment), the expensive valuation prevents a max position. Capping size to Normal (4-6%) balances the strong fundamental story with high volatility.

Diversification Alternatives
ADBE
INDUSTRY

Adobe is a high-quality, wide-moat peer in enterprise software with a similar subscription model. It offers exposure to digital transformation without the specific CRM market headwinds.

Core Thesis: The core thesis is built on its dominant, entrenched position in creative and document software, with high switching costs and a strong subscription revenue base. AI is seen as an ecosystem enhancer, not a disrupter. [37]
PTC
INDUSTRY

PTC offers a more focused play on the industrial software and digital transformation trend, with less direct competition from mega-cap players like Microsoft in its core CAD/PLM niches.

Core Thesis: PTC's growth is driven by the adoption of its IoT and AR platforms (ThingWorx, Vuforia) and the steady demand for its core CAD and PLM software in industrial sectors. [13, 19]
How Is The Market Pricing CRM?

Salesforce is transitioning from a broad, multi-cloud CRM suite provider to an AI-first 'Agentic Enterprise' platform, where growth is increasingly driven by consumption-based AI and Data products (Agentforce, Data 360) layered on top of its mature, seat-based core business.

Filter all news through the lens of AI-driven growth and margin stability. The key debate is whether new AI revenue can outpace potential seat-based erosion from AI-driven automation.

What will confirm the thesis

Agentforce and Data 360 ARR growth exceeding +100% YoY; cRPO growth accelerating or staying in the double-digits; evidence of AI driving multi-cloud adoption and net new customer wins; sustained non-GAAP operating margins above 34%.

What will damage the thesis

Deceleration of Agentforce ARR growth below 50%; cRPO growth falling into the single digits; analyst reports citing AI-native competitors causing customer churn or pricing pressure; downward revisions to long-term revenue targets ($60B+ by FY30).

Noise: Real but irrelevant to thesis

Minor quarterly beats or misses on the core SaaS businesses (Sales, Service clouds); individual competitor announcements without third-party market share data; short-term stock price fluctuations unrelated to fundamental AI adoption metrics.

Repricing Catalyst

The rapid monetization of the Agentforce and Data 360 platforms is the primary catalyst. This combined offering reached an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of over $2.9 billion in Q4 FY26, growing over 200% YoY. Management's ability to demonstrate that this new, high-growth, consumption-based revenue stream can be successfully layered onto the existing customer base to re-accelerate overall growth is key to a valuation re-rating.

What CRM Makes & Who Pays
TTM figures based on Q4 FY2026 Earnings PR (unaudited), Feb 25 2026
AI-Powered CRM Applications (Sales, Service, etc.)
$38.6B TTM (93% of Total) · 95% Margin
What It Is

Agentforce Sales, Agentforce Service, Agentforce Marketing and Commerce Clouds. These are the core CRM applications delivered via a SaaS model.

Who Pays & How

Enterprises of all sizes pay recurring subscription fees, typically on a per-user basis. They pay because the platform is deeply embedded in their commercial workflows, creating high switching costs related to data migration, user retraining, and integration with other systems.

Per-user, per-month subscription fee, billed annually.
Competition
Microsoft — Dynamics 365
Microsoft leverages its massive enterprise footprint, bundling Dynamics with Office 365, Teams, and Azure to offer a competitively priced, integrated suite.
Salesforce's moat is its extensive, mature ecosystem (AppExchange), deep workflow integration creating high switching costs, and its brand as the market-leading CRM specialist.
AI & Data Platform (Agentforce, Data 360, Slack, Tableau)
$2.9B TTM (7% of Total) · 95% Margin
What It Is

Agentforce (AI agent platform), Data 360 (hyperscale data engine), Slack (collaboration), Tableau (analytics), MuleSoft (integration).

Who Pays & How

Existing Salesforce customers pay to unify their customer data and build AI agents on top of their core CRM. They pay to automate tasks, gain deeper insights, and improve productivity, leveraging their existing Salesforce data as a key asset.

Primarily consumption-based (e.g., tokens processed by Agentforce) and per-user subscriptions (Slack, Tableau).
Competition
Databricks / Snowflake — Data Platforms
Dedicated data platforms like Snowflake and Databricks offer specialized, often best-in-class, performance for data warehousing and AI model training at scale.
Salesforce's advantage is its proprietary data gravity; the core CRM data already resides within its ecosystem, making Data 360 and Agentforce the path of least resistance for building customer-facing AI applications.
CRM Evolution: Price Return by Era
1999–2010 · SaaS Pioneer
The Cloud CRM Disruptor +~10x from IPO to end of 2010
Founded in 1999, Salesforce pioneered the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, delivering CRM through a web browser. After its 2004 IPO, it launched AppExchange (2005) and Force.com (2008), establishing a platform and ecosystem beyond its initial 'Sales Cloud' application.
2011–2021 · Multi-Cloud Expansion via M&A
Building the Customer 360 Suite +~8x (Jan 2011 – Nov 2021 peak)
This era was defined by aggressive acquisitions to build a comprehensive suite. Major purchases included ExactTarget (Marketing Cloud, $2.5B in 2013), MuleSoft (Integration, $6.5B in 2018), Tableau (Analytics, $15.7B in 2019), and culminated with Slack (Collaboration, $27.7B in 2021), creating a broad 'Customer 360' platform.
2022–Present · AI & Profitability Pivot
The Agentic Enterprise and Margin Focus Volatile, with significant decline from 2021 peak followed by recovery.
Facing slowing growth and market pressure for efficiency, Salesforce pivoted. This era is marked by a focus on profitability (achieving non-GAAP operating margins over 30%) and a major strategic realignment around generative AI with the launch of the Data 360 and Agentforce platforms, which became the company's fastest-growing products.
Market Is In Wait-and-See Mode
Price structure is in a downtrend. Multiple SMA levels broken and declining. Thesis requires reclaiming 200D before any bull case is credible. Relative to SPY: Lagging the market on the 63D window, but 'relative strength' is beginning to stabilize; watch for inflection. Volume and momentum show mild positive lean. The accumulation signals present but not yet dominant. Earnings history is mildly supportive. The reaction or drift are positive but not both at full conviction.
① Structure
-4
Structural pillar score (-4 to +4). Driven by trend regime, SMA cross events, proximity to 52W high, and relative strength vs SPY.
② Volume / Momentum
+1
Volume/Momentum pillar score (-4 to +4). Driven by institutional footprint score, OBV divergence, and momentum character.
③ Catalyst
+1
Catalyst pillar score (-4 to +4). Driven by earnings day reaction, 20D post-earnings drift, and post-earnings volume character.
Combined Score
-2 / 12
1 Price Structure & Trend Downtrend · -
2 Momentum Mixed
3 Relative Strength vs. SPY Recovering Relative Strength
4 Institutional Footprint & Volume Mild Accumulation
5 Volatility Normal
6 Key Price Levels Range · Vol Falling
7 Earnings Reaction History Diminishing Reward
8 How the Verdict Is Derived Three Pillars