This week's "software armageddon" is nothing more than a tech stock "garage sale," according to Wedbush analyst and AI mega-bull Dan Ives. While software stocks tanked this week amid investor panic over the threat of AI disruption, Ives wrote in an industry note published Wednesday that, rather than an industry-wide catastrophe, the sell-off is an opportunity to buy typically high-priced stocks at a discount.Ives's bullishness is hardly new; he has spent years urging investors to lean into tech selloffs, e ...

Core Insights - Salesforce, Inc. is recognized as one of the top agentic AI stocks to invest in, with a significant hedge fund sentiment reflected by 119 hedge funds holding stakes in the company as of Q3 [1] Group 1: Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating on Salesforce, adjusting its price target to $398 from $405, citing a recalibration after strong quarterly results, with adjusted EPS of $3.25 surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.86 [2] - Evercore ISI also kept an Outperform rating while lowering its target to $340 from $360, describing fiscal Q3 as solid with revenue in line and EPS ahead, highlighting momentum in Agentforce with over $500 million in annual recurring revenue [3] Group 2: Company Overview - Salesforce provides customer relationship management software and cloud-based applications that cover various business functions including sales, service, marketing, commerce, and analytics for enterprises globally [4]

Core Insights - Salesforce is expected to report rising revenue and profits in its upcoming quarterly earnings report [1] - Analysts predict a potential stock movement of up to 7% in either direction by the end of the week [1] Financial Performance - Projected adjusted earnings per share for Salesforce are $2.86, with a 9% year-over-year revenue increase to $10.28 billion for the third quarter [1] - The stock is currently around $235, with potential high and low targets of $251 and $218, respectively [1] Market Sentiment - Deutsche Bank analysts anticipate Salesforce will exceed estimates and raise its outlook, indicating the stock is undervalued due to "excessive negative sentiment" in recent quarters [1] - Despite a nearly 30% decline in stock value in 2025, the majority of analysts remain bullish, with 14 out of 18 recommending a "buy" [1] - The mean target price for Salesforce is approximately $310, suggesting a potential upside of around 32% from the recent close [1]

Core Viewpoint - Salesforce Inc. shares are currently undervalued, yet investor sentiment remains negative due to concerns over artificial intelligence impacting the company's growth prospects [1][6]. Financial Performance - Salesforce is set to report earnings, with a forecast of double-digit revenue growth in the coming years, but Wall Street remains skeptical about the impact of these results on the stock's cautious narrative [2][6]. - The company's stock price has dropped 30% in 2025, making it the second-worst performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and among the 25 worst in the S&P 500 Index [4]. - The market valuation of Salesforce has reached its lowest point since the company went public in 2004, trading at less than 19 times estimated earnings for the next 12 months, significantly below its 10-year average of 47 and the S&P 500's multiple of approximately 22 [5]. Investor Sentiment - Analysts indicate that a change in investor sentiment is necessary for the stock to regain attention, which will depend on stability and improvement in top-line growth [3]. - Despite Salesforce's optimistic forecast, concerns about AI-native companies reducing demand for its services and pricing power persist, which may hinder a turnaround in sentiment [6]. AI Product Development - Salesforce has introduced AI products like Agentforce, which automates certain workloads, but investors are not yet expecting significant financial contributions from these products, leading to doubts about the company's ability to compete in the AI landscape [7]. - There is interest in Agentforce/Data Cloud, but production remains limited, and analysts are awaiting wider rollouts and evidence of commercialization before becoming more positive on the stock [8].

Core Insights - Jim Cramer has recently expressed increased optimism about Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) following his attendance at the Dreamforce conference, emphasizing the need for long-term faith in the company [2] - The current sentiment surrounding enterprise software is not very positive, which may delay analysts' reassessment of Salesforce's potential [2] - Major companies utilizing Salesforce's software, such as Dell, William Sonoma, FedEx, and Pepsi, have demonstrated improved revenue and reduced expenses, contributing to a 15% stock price increase [3] Company Overview - Salesforce, Inc. is an enterprise software company specializing in customer relationship management software [2] - The company is currently facing a challenging market environment, which may impact investor sentiment and stock performance in the short term [2] Market Context - The overall sentiment in the enterprise software sector is currently subdued, which could affect the perception of Salesforce's growth potential [2] - Despite the potential of Salesforce as an investment, there is a belief that certain AI stocks may offer better returns with lower risk [3]

Group 1 - Salesforce announced the acquisition of Informatica for $8 billion to enhance its capabilities in artificial intelligence [1][2] - The acquisition aims to integrate Informatica's data management services with Salesforce's Agentforce platform, focusing on creating autonomous and trustworthy AI agents [2] - The deal will be financed through a mix of cash from Salesforce's balance sheet and new debt [3]