Salesforce Reports Earnings Beat, CFO Exit: What to Know
Salesforce stock is struggling for direction Thursday after the tech giant disclosed Q2 earnings and a key C-suite shake up.


Salesforce (CRM) stock is choppy Thursday as Wall Street parses the software-as-a-service firm's (Saas) second-quarter earnings beat and upwardly revised full-year profit forecast.
In the three months ended July 31, Saleforce's revenue increased 8.4% year-over-year to $9.3 billion. Its earnings per share (EPS) were up 20.8% from the year-ago period to $2.56.
"In Q2, we delivered strong performance across revenue, cash flow, margin and cRPO [current remaining performance obligation, a measure of revenue], and raised our fiscal year non-GAAP operating margin and cash flow growth guidance," said Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff in a statement.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Benioff added that the company's new AgentForce artificial intelligence (AI) platform is "reimagining enterprise software for a new world where humans with autonomous Agents drive customer success together. Salesforce is the only company with the leading apps, trusted data and agent-first platform to deliver this vision at scale and help companies realize the incredible benefits of AI."
The company's top- and bottom-line results beat analysts' expectations. Wall Street was anticipating revenue of $9.2 billion and earnings of $2.36 per share, according to CNBC.
As a result of its strong performance in the first half of the year, Salesforce raised its profit forecast for its full fiscal year. The company now anticipates earnings per share in the range of $10.03 to $10.11, up from its previous forecast of $9.86 to $9.94. It added that it continues to expect revenue to arrive between $37.7 billion to $38 billion.
For the third quarter, Salesforce is guiding for revenue in the range of $9.31 billion to $9.36 billion and EPS in the range of $2.42 to $2.44. This is mixed compared to analysts' expectations for revenue of $9.41 billion and earnings of $2.43 per share.
The report also included news that Amy Weaver will be leaving her position as chief financial officer of Salesforce.
Is Salesforce stock a buy, sell or hold?
Salesforce has been one of the worst Dow Jones stocks this year, off a little over 1% at last check. Still, Wall Street is bullish on CRM.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the average analyst target price for CRM stock is $308.22, representing implied upside of roughly 19% to current levels. Meanwhile, the consensus recommendation is a Buy.
Financial services firm Needham is one of the more bullish outfits on the blue chip stock with a Buy rating and $345 price target.
"CRM reported modest, but largely in line, Q2 results," says Needham analyst Scott Berg. "While sales appear steady, the negative news was CFO Amy Weaver's resignation who was well-liked by the Street given her successful push for operating leverage. The call's highlight was details given for its new AgentForce bot technology CRM believes can drive incremental sales in Sales and Service Clouds."
Related Content
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Joey Solitro is a freelance financial journalist at Kiplinger with more than a decade of experience. A longtime equity analyst, Joey has covered a range of industries for media outlets including The Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Market Realist, and TipRanks. Joey holds a bachelor's degree in business administration.
-
Cash vs. Mortgage: How to Pay for Your Second Home
Should you buy your second home outright or finance it with a loan? Weigh the pros, cons and tax implications before making the leap.
-
Mortgage Rates Dip to Year-Low as Jobs Data Disappoints
With August job growth falling short of expectations, markets drive 30-year mortgage interest rates down, opening refinance and homebuying opportunities.
-
5 Top Tech Disruptors to Watch
multibagger stocks Big change catalyzed by top tech disruptors often leads to big growth.
-
Gray Divorce Can Throw Your Retirement a Curveball: What to Know
If you're entering retirement and going through a divorce at the same time, you've got some work to do to shore up your long-term financial security.
-
I'm a Real Estate Investing Expert: Optional 721 UPREIT DSTs Can Be the Best of Both Worlds
Before investing in any 721 UPREIT exchange, look for one that offers a straightforward, investor-friendly exit.
-
Markets Are Quiet Ahead of Fed Day: Stock Market Today
Investors, traders and speculators appear to be on hold amid an unusually fraught Fed meeting.
-
5 Multibagger Stocks With Amazing Returns in 2025
multibagger stocks As the term suggests, multibagger stocks multiply your money – gains of 1,200%, for example. Here's where to look for that kind of performance this year.
-
Investing Freebies: Perks You Get for Owning These Stocks
While the biggest investing returns come over the long term, these companies offer instant gratification for investors with several freebies and perks.
-
How an Expired Passport Thwarted Blackmail (and What Other Important Documents You Should Keep)
An optometrist produced his expired passport to foil a blackmail attempt by the daughter of a former employee. After proving he was out of the country on the date of a forged diary entry, he took it a step further.
-
Optimize, Grow, Retain: The Power of Annual Client Reviews
Financial advisers can use annual reviews to help enhance client outcomes, strengthen relationships and build their practice.