New York, Feb 27, 2026, 11:01 EST — Regular session
- Salesforce shares slipped roughly 3.5% in morning trading, giving back some ground after a 4% rally the previous day.
- Company announced a $50 billion buyback, bumped up its dividend, and cited Agentforce AI metrics.
- Investors are tuning in to Friday’s Agentforce webinar, looking for deeper insight into both growth prospects and monetization strategy.
Salesforce (CRM) slipped 3.5% to $192.44 Friday morning, giving back ground after climbing 4% the previous day. Shares have held mostly between $190 and $193 so far, following a Thursday close at $199.47. 1
That kind of swing shows just how fast attitudes are changing when it comes to major software stocks, with investors now wrestling to figure out how “agentic” AI — tech that handles tasks for users — fits into subscription models. There’s been some movement out of AI infrastructure into software lately, giving the sector a bit of breathing room, though the shift has been anything but consistent. 2
Salesforce faces a straightforward dilemma: will its Agentforce initiative drive sales growth quickly enough to make the investment worthwhile, or are AI agents advancing to the point where legacy software loses its grip? The company’s also ramping up shareholder returns as it tries to hold investor attention.
Salesforce posted a 12% jump in fourth-quarter revenue to $11.2 billion late Wednesday, while its remaining performance obligation (RPO) — essentially revenue under contract but not yet booked — increased 14% to $72.4 billion. The board gave the go-ahead for a fresh $50 billion stock buyback, and the quarterly dividend moves up to $0.44 per share. CEO Marc Benioff flagged Agentforce’s ARR, now at $800 million, a 169% surge year-over-year. 3
Salesforce is guiding for first-quarter revenue between $11.03 billion and $11.08 billion, with non-GAAP EPS expected in the $3.11 to $3.13 range. Looking ahead to fiscal 2027, the company sees revenue coming in at $45.8 billion to $46.2 billion. The increased dividend gets paid out April 23 to shareholders on record as of April 9. 4
According to LSEG data reported by Reuters, Wall Street had been looking for $10.99 billion in first-quarter revenue and $11.18 billion in the fourth quarter. Shares slid roughly 3.5% in late trading right after the numbers dropped. 5
On the earnings call, Benioff called the buyback an opportunity to “take some of that stock back out of the market.” He noted more than $14 billion returned to shareholders for fiscal 2026. Large enterprise deals got a mention, too—among them, a U.S. Army contract with a $5.6 billion ceiling—as Salesforce works to demonstrate steady demand. 6
The buyback has sparked debate. Certain analysts argue it signals management believes shares are undervalued; others counter that the money would be put to better use backing AI or pursuing strategic acquisitions, with growth slowing. 7
Salesforce shares surged 4.0% on Thursday after earnings, pulling up other software stocks in the process. ServiceNow advanced 4.9%, Oracle tacked on 1.6%, according to MarketWatch data. 8
The route ahead is messy. Investors are zeroing in on whether Agentforce’s momentum will actually drive quicker organic subscription gains. Meanwhile, MarketWatch noted lackluster performance in areas like marketing, commerce, and Tableau within Salesforce’s broader business. 9
Salesforce execs will headline the Agentforce 360 platform webinar at 11 a.m. ET Friday, with Benioff set to join later. Investors want specifics—pricing, adoption rates, and the company’s timeline for deploying its new buyback authorization are all in focus. 10
