What's Happening With CRM Stock?

Core Insights - Salesforce reported Q1 fiscal 2026 results with sales of $9.83 billion and earnings per share of $2.58, surpassing consensus estimates of $9.75 billion and $2.53 respectively [1] - The company announced the acquisition of Informatica for $8 billion, marking its largest acquisition since Slack in 2021 [1] - Salesforce raised its full-year forecast for adjusted earnings per share to $11.27-$11.33 and revenue to $41.0 billion-$41.3 billion, exceeding market expectations [1] Financial Performance - Salesforce's revenues grew by 8% to $9.8 billion in the latest quarter compared to $9.1 billion a year earlier, while the S&P 500 saw a 4.8% improvement [9] - The company has achieved an average revenue growth rate of 12.7% over the last three years, compared to 5.5% for the S&P 500 [9] - Salesforce's operating income over the previous four quarters was $7.9 billion, with an operating margin of 20.4%, higher than the S&P 500's 13.2% [12] Valuation Metrics - Salesforce has a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 7.1, compared to 3.0 for the S&P 500, and a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27 against the benchmark's 26.4 [9] - The price-to-free cash flow (P/FCF) ratio stands at 20.6, slightly above the S&P 500's 20.5 [9] - At a stock price of $280, Salesforce is trading at 7 times its trailing revenues [12] Financial Stability - Salesforce's balance sheet is considered robust, with a debt of $11 billion and a market capitalization of $265 billion, resulting in a low debt-to-equity ratio of 4.3% compared to 19.9% for the S&P 500 [12] - Cash and cash equivalents amount to $11 billion, constituting 11% of total assets of $99 billion, which is moderate compared to the S&P 500's 13.8% [12] Downturn Resilience - Salesforce stock has shown more severe impacts during downturns compared to the S&P 500, with a decline of 58.6% from its peak in November 2021 to December 2022 [13] - The stock fully rebounded to its pre-crisis high by March 2024, indicating some resilience [13] - Overall, Salesforce's performance across key metrics is rated as very strong, with financial stability categorized as extremely strong [13]