Salesforce Inc. (CRM) shares pushed higher Thursday morning after the enterprise software giant delivered quarterly results that beat profit expectations and offered an optimistic view of what's coming next.
The Numbers Tell a Good Story
Third-quarter revenue came in at $10.26 billion, up 9% from last year but just barely missing the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. That's basically a rounding error. What really caught attention was profitability: adjusted earnings hit $3.25 per share, crushing expectations of $2.86 per share.
More interesting is what Salesforce has lined up for the future. Remaining performance obligations—essentially committed future revenue—jumped 11% to $29.4 billion. CEO Marc Benioff didn't hold back his enthusiasm about this metric in the company's release.
"Q3 cRPO was exceptional ... signaling a powerful pipeline of future revenue," Benioff said.
Looking Ahead With Confidence
The company's guidance suggests management feels good about momentum. For the fourth quarter, Salesforce expects revenue between $11.13 billion and $11.23 billion, comfortably above the $10.90 billion analysts had penciled in. Adjusted earnings guidance of $3.02 to $3.04 per share aligns with the $3.04 per share consensus.
For the full fiscal year 2026, Salesforce lifted its outlook considerably. Revenue projections now sit at $41.45 billion to $41.55 billion versus prior expectations of $41.25 billion. Even more notably, the company raised full-year adjusted earnings guidance to $11.75 to $11.77 per share—well above the $11.37 per share analysts were expecting.
Benioff pointed to specific growth drivers gaining traction. "Our Agentforce and Data 360 products are the momentum drivers, hitting nearly $1.4 billion in ARR—an explosive 114% year-over-year gain," he added.
What Analysts Are Saying
Following the report, Needham analyst Scott Berg reiterated a Buy rating and kept his price target at $400. Citizens analyst Patrick Walravens maintained a Market Outperform rating but trimmed his price target from $430 to $405.
Technical Picture Shows Mixed Signals
From a technical standpoint, Salesforce is working through some challenges. The stock trades 6.5% below its 200-day simple moving average, which typically suggests a bearish long-term trend. Shares are sitting slightly above the 20-day moving average by about 3%, but overall momentum looks weak considering the stock is down 35.11% over the past twelve months.
The Relative Strength Index sits at 50.07, indicating a neutral position without immediate overbought or oversold pressure. The MACD is below its signal line, though charts are showing a bullish divergence that could indicate potential upward momentum if the stock breaks through key resistance at $246—a level it's been testing.
December brought a death cross for the stock, with the 50-day moving average crossing below the 200-day moving average. That's typically viewed as a bearish signal and suggests caution is warranted.
If shares drop to test support at $222, a breach could signal further downside. Conversely, a move above $246 resistance might indicate a trend reversal is underway. For now, traders should watch these critical levels closely.
Price Action: Salesforce shares were up 1.73%, trading at approximately $242.86 at the time of publication Thursday.