Salesforce Stock Gets Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) is a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software, helping businesses manage customer interactions and data. The company competes with other tech giants like Microsoft and Oracle in the CRM space. Salesforce's recent financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 highlight its continued strong market performance.

In the third quarter, Salesforce reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.41, slightly below the estimated $2.44. Despite this, the company generated revenue of approximately $9.44 billion, surpassing the estimated $9.37 billion. This revenue growth underscores Salesforce's ability to outperform market expectations and maintain its competitive edge.

Salesforce's financial metrics provide further insights into its market valuation. The company has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of approximately 44.20, indicating how the market values its earnings. Additionally, its price-to-sales ratio stands at about 9.27, reflecting the market's valuation of its revenue. These ratios suggest that investors have high expectations for Salesforce's future growth.

The company's enterprise value to sales ratio is around 9.14, and its enterprise value to operating cash flow ratio is approximately 27.12. These figures highlight Salesforce's efficiency in generating revenue and cash flow relative to its market value. Moreover, the earnings yield of about 2.26% provides insight into the return on investment for shareholders.

Salesforce maintains a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.051, indicating a conservative approach to leveraging. This low ratio suggests that the company relies more on equity than debt to finance its operations, reducing financial risk. Additionally, with a current ratio of approximately 1.11, Salesforce demonstrates its ability to cover short-term liabilities with its short-term assets, ensuring financial stability.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) saw its shares climb over 13% in pre-market today after delivering strong annual guidance despite mixed third-quarter results. While earnings fell short of Wall Street estimates, the company’s commitment to driving growth through AI innovation garnered investor enthusiasm.

For the third quarter, Salesforce reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.41 on revenue of $9.44 billion. While EPS came in slightly below the $2.44 expected, revenue surpassed the $9.35 billion consensus.

Salesforce continued its push into AI, heavily investing in its Agentforce product. Designed to align with the broader AI trend seen across tech giants like Microsoft, Agentforce focuses on creating autonomous task-performing agents. The company announced plans to hire 1,400 additional employees in the fourth quarter to meet growing demand, with the product securing over 200 deals in a single week.

Looking ahead, Salesforce offered optimistic guidance. For the fourth quarter, the company projected adjusted EPS between $2.57 and $2.62 on revenue of $9.90 billion to $10.10 billion. For fiscal 2025, it raised the lower end of its revenue forecast to $37.8 billion to $38.0 billion and expects adjusted EPS between $9.98 and $10.03.

• Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) reported an impressive EPS of $3.54, significantly beating the estimated $2.44.
• The company achieved a revenue of approximately $9.44 billion, surpassing the estimated $9.35 billion.
• Salesforce's positive fiscal fourth-quarter guidance and an 8% year-over-year revenue growth have boosted investor confidence, leading to a 5% increase in stock price in extended trading.

Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a leading cloud-based software company specializing in customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. It competes with other tech giants like Microsoft and Oracle in the CRM space. Salesforce's innovative platform helps businesses manage customer interactions, sales, and marketing efforts efficiently.

On December 3, 2024, Salesforce reported impressive earnings per share (EPS) of $3.54, significantly surpassing the estimated $2.44. This strong performance reflects the company's ability to exceed market expectations. Salesforce also achieved a revenue of approximately $9.44 billion, outpacing the estimated $9.35 billion, as highlighted by Zacks Investment Research.

The company's third-quarter results, ending in October 2024, showed an 8% year-over-year revenue growth. This growth, coupled with Salesforce's raised full-year sales and profit outlook, has positively impacted its stock price, which increased by 5% in extended trading, as reported by CNBC. The positive fiscal fourth-quarter guidance further boosted investor confidence.

Salesforce's financial metrics reveal a robust market valuation. The company has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of approximately 40.62 and a price-to-sales ratio of about 8.52. These figures indicate the market's high valuation of Salesforce's earnings and sales. Additionally, the enterprise value to sales ratio is around 8.39, while the enterprise value to operating cash flow ratio is approximately 24.90.

The company's financial health is further supported by a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.051, suggesting a conservative use of debt. Salesforce maintains a current ratio of 1.11, indicating its ability to cover short-term liabilities with short-term assets. The earnings yield of 2.46% reflects a solid return on investment for shareholders.

CFRA analysts raised their price target for Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) to $380 from $343 while maintaining a Strong Buy rating. The analysts highlighted the company’s potential for growth stabilization and margin expansion, supported by AI monetization.

The revised price target was based on a higher projected price-to-earnings ratio of 30x for 2026 EPS estimates, aligning with peers but remaining below historical averages. Earnings projections were maintained at $10.07 for fiscal 2025, $11.10 for 2026, and initiated at $12.68 for 2027.

Ahead of its October-quarter results, set to be released today, after the market close, Salesforce was expected to report revenue of $9.3 billion, reflecting a 7% year-over-year growth, and EPS of $2.45. Guidance was anticipated to align closely with market expectations of $10 billion in revenue and $2.65 in EPS for the next quarter.

Despite decelerating growth rates since the pandemic's peak, the analysts cited easier comparisons ahead and the stabilizing effect of incremental AI monetization as drivers for renewed momentum. Salesforce’s AI strategy, including the rollout of Agentforce, was expected to gain traction across enterprise markets by the second half of 2025. Additionally, the company’s usage-based pricing approach was seen as a factor in balancing subscription revenue pressure from do-it-yourself and productivity-related gains.

With net cash reserves of $9.2 billion and an anticipated free cash flow increase to over $13 billion by 2026, the analysts projected further upside for Salesforce as it capitalizes on its AI initiatives and broadens its enterprise appeal.

• Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) has a new price target set by CFRA at $380, indicating a potential upside of 14.8%.
• Wall Street analysts expect an EPS of $2.44 and revenues of $9.34 billion for the upcoming third-quarter earnings.
• The stock has experienced significant volatility, with a yearly high of $348.86 and a low of $212.

Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) is a leading cloud-based software company that provides customer relationship management services. It competes with other tech giants like Microsoft and Oracle in the CRM space. On December 2, 2024, Aaron Siegel from CFRA set a price target of $380 for CRM, suggesting a potential upside of 14.8% from its current trading price of $331.01.

Salesforce is preparing to announce its third-quarter earnings, with Wall Street analysts expecting an EPS of $2.44 and revenues of $9.34 billion. These figures will be released after market hours, and they are crucial for investors to assess the company's financial health and growth prospects. The current stock price of $331.01 reflects a modest increase of $1.02 or 0.31%.

The stock has shown some volatility, with a daily range between $330.42 and $334.49. Over the past year, CRM has experienced a high of $348.86 and a low of $212, indicating significant price movement. This volatility can be attributed to various market factors and investor sentiment towards the tech sector.

Salesforce's market capitalization is approximately $316.45 billion, highlighting its substantial presence in the tech industry. The trading volume of 4,545,198 shares on the NYSE suggests active investor interest. As the company prepares to release its earnings, these metrics will be closely watched by investors and analysts alike.

Wedbush analysts raised their price target on Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) to $325 from $315, maintaining an Outperform rating on the stock.

The analysts expressed growing optimism about Salesforce's future, citing positive customer feedback and an increasing number of use cases for the company's full product suite. They noted that Salesforce is well-positioned to capitalize on rising demand for AI-driven solutions, helping organizations enhance automation and efficiency.

The analysts highlighted the strong risk/reward profile of Salesforce at current levels, particularly as the company's Agentforce strategy unfolds over the coming years. The analysts believe the growth potential within Salesforce’s installed base remains underappreciated by the market, reinforcing Salesforce as one of their top tech picks for the next year.

• Goldman Sachs upgraded Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) to a "Buy" rating, indicating a positive outlook after the Dreamforce event.
• Salesforce introduced new generative AI tools at Dreamforce, emphasizing innovation and competitive edge in the CRM software market.
• The company's focus on data security and the strategic direction towards AI advancements has bolstered investor confidence, reflected in a 5.37% rise in stock price.

Goldman Sachs recently upgraded its rating on Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) to a "Buy" from a previous stance, following a comprehensive review after the company's Dreamforce event. This adjustment, announced on September 19, 2024, reflects an incrementally positive outlook on Salesforce, with the stock price at $265.99 at the time of the announcement. Despite this upgrade, the recommendation to investors remains a "hold," indicating a cautious optimism towards the company's future performance.

Salesforce, a leading player in the customer relationship management (CRM) software market, has been making significant strides in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its offerings. The company's co-founder and CEO, Marc Benioff, recently showcased new generative AI tools, termed "agents," at the annual Dreamforce event. These tools are designed to simplify the integration of AI into business operations, eliminating the need for companies to develop their own AI solutions from scratch. This development is a testament to Salesforce's commitment to innovation and its efforts to maintain a competitive edge in the tech industry.

Furthermore, Salesforce's emphasis on data security, particularly within its Slack platform, was highlighted by Benioff as "rock solid." This reassurance is crucial as businesses increasingly rely on digital communication tools and seek assurances regarding the safety of their data. The discussions at Dreamforce also touched on the broader implications of AI technology, including safety, regulation, and potential job impacts. These conversations underscore the importance of AI in the tech industry and the need for a balanced approach to its adoption and regulation.

The stock's performance, with a notable increase to $265.99, marking a 5.37% rise, reflects investor confidence in Salesforce's strategic direction and its ability to capitalize on AI advancements. With a market capitalization of about $254.29 billion and a trading volume of 9.98 million shares, Salesforce remains a formidable force in the tech sector. The company's efforts to enhance its AI offerings and address critical issues surrounding technology adoption and security are likely to continue driving its market position and appeal to investors.