Why Salesforce’s $50 Billion Buyback Didn’t Save The Stock

If a company can reinvest internally at 20 percent incremental returns with a long runway ahead of it, retiring shares might be the wrong decision. High return reinvestment compounds faster than financial engineering. On the other hand, if incremental opportunities are narrowing and the stock trades at a double-digit free cash flow yield, buying back shares may be the highest return project available. The market understands that tradeoff. It doesn’t react to the size of the authorization. It reacts to what ...