What's behind the 5% drop in Salesforce (CRM) stock?

Core Viewpoint - Salesforce reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue and issued a subdued forecast for fiscal 2026, leading to a nearly 5% decline in stock price during pre-market trading [1][3]. Financial Performance - Salesforce's adjusted EPS was $2.78, surpassing the $2.61 estimate, but revenue was $9.99 billion, falling short of the $10.04 billion consensus [3]. - For Q1 2026, Salesforce projected revenue between $9.71 billion and $9.76 billion, missing Wall Street's expectation of $9.9 billion [4]. - The full-year revenue forecast of $40.5 billion to $40.9 billion also came in below analysts' estimates of $41.35 billion [4]. AI Platform Adoption - Salesforce's AI platform, Agentforce, has secured over 3,000 paid deals and facilitated 380,000 customer interactions since its launch in October [7]. - Despite early traction, Agentforce's revenue contribution in fiscal 2026 is expected to be modest, with a more significant impact projected for fiscal 2027 [8]. - CFO Amy Weaver indicated that the adoption cycle is still early, with customer deployments ramping up gradually [8][9]. Analyst Reactions - Following the earnings release, analysts lowered their price targets on Salesforce stock due to mixed results and weaker guidance [10]. - Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler maintained an 'Underperform' rating and reduced the price target from $286 to $243, citing concerns over the company's maturity in a competitive market [10]. - Stifel analyst Parker Lane retained a 'Buy' rating while lowering the price target from $425 to $375, suggesting that the market overreacted to short-term guidance [11].