salesforce(US:CRM) ZACKS·2026-01-13 14:11Core Insights - Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) is focusing on Data 360, previously known as Data Cloud, to stimulate growth as revenue expansion has slowed to single digits, with year-over-year revenue increases of 7.6%, 9.8%, and 8.6% in the first three quarters of fiscal 2026 [1][5] Group 1: Data 360 Strategy - Data 360 is central to Salesforce's strategy to address slowing top-line growth, combining various data tools into a unified offering to help companies manage and activate their data in real time [2] - The integration of Data 360 with other tools like Agentforce and Mulesoft is enabling enterprises to analyze data and apply AI across operations, potentially driving higher-value contracts for Salesforce [3] Group 2: Financial Performance - Data 360 and Agentforce generated $1.4 billion in recurring revenues in Q3 of fiscal 2026, marking a 114% year-over-year increase, with expectations that the data-related business could reach around $10 billion annually by fiscal 2027 [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate predicts revenue growth of 9.5% and 11% for fiscal 2026 and 2027, respectively, indicating a potential path for Salesforce to reaccelerate growth [5] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Salesforce faces increased competition from Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) and Snowflake Inc. (SNOW) in the data cloud sector, with Microsoft leveraging its Azure Data platform and Snowflake focusing solely on data management [6][7][8] Group 4: Valuation and Estimates - Salesforce shares have decreased by 19.8% over the past year, contrasting with the Zacks Computer – Software industry's growth of 10.5% [9] - The company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, significantly lower than the industry average of 28.31 [13] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 and 2027 earnings suggests year-over-year increases of approximately 15.3% and 10.4%, respectively, with upward revisions in estimates over the past 30 days [16]