Software Stocks Decline, Investors Eye Acquisition Opportunities
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 22 2026
0mins
Should l Buy CRM?
Source: Newsfilter
- Market Downward Pressure: Cloud software stocks like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Adobe have dropped over 14% at the start of 2025, while the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund has fallen more than 8% year-to-date, indicating increasing market concerns about the software sector.
- Increased Acquisition Opportunities: Orlando Bravo, co-founder of private equity firm Thoma Bravo, noted that there are “incredible buying opportunities” right now, which may lead mid-sized software companies to seek financing and potentially trigger a wave of acquisitions.
- Escalating AI Threats: The launch of AI agent tools has heightened investor anxiety about the software industry's future, with analysts highlighting significant risks for companies like Monday.com, Asana, and Sprout Social, which may be forced to explore strategic alternatives.
- Poor Market Reactions: Despite Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff claiming the latest quarter was the “best of their careers,” the market response has been tepid, with ServiceNow's shares dropping 17% over a week, reflecting investor skepticism towards companies lacking an AI strategy.
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Analyst Views on CRM
Wall Street analysts forecast CRM stock price to rise
39 Analyst Rating
29 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 182.140
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
Current: 182.140
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
About CRM
Salesforce, Inc. is a customer relationship management (CRM) technology company. Its artificial intelligence (AI) powered Agentforce 360 Platform offers sales, service, marketing, commerce, collaboration, data management, integration, analytics, and information technology (IT) service solutions. It enables customers to build and deploy digital labor for employees and customers, leveraging autonomous AI agents across business functions. Its service offerings include Agentforce Sales, Agentforce Service, Agentforce 360 Platform, Slack and Others. The Agentforce Sales provides sales capabilities and tools built for organizations across prospecting, sales engagement, team collaboration, sales analytics and AI, sales programs, sales performance, partner management, and revenue and orders. The Agentforce Service provides field service solutions that enable companies to connect service agents, dispatchers and mobile employees through platform to schedule, dispatch and manage jobs.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Salesforce CEO Benioff Rebuts AI Disruption Fears
- Sales Growth: Salesforce's recent quarterly sales increased by 12% to $11.2 billion, exceeding Wall Street expectations, although a soft fiscal first-quarter forecast has created cautious sentiment regarding the company's future performance.
- Agentforce Platform Progress: Since its launch in late 2024, Salesforce's Agentforce platform is now utilized by 23,000 of its 150,000 customers, indicating its potential in automating workflows and possibly generating new revenue streams for the company.
- AI Investment Strategy: Salesforce has invested over $300 million in AI startup Anthropic since 2023, which was recently valued at $380 billion and plans to go public later this year, a strategy that could support Salesforce's long-term growth.
- Analyst Optimism: Despite CRM shares declining over 30% in 2026, 35 out of 46 analysts recommend 'Buy' or higher, with an average price target of $268.87, implying a 48% upside, reflecting market confidence in a potential rebound.
See More
Stock Markets Decline Amid Soaring Oil Prices and Geopolitical Tensions
- Oil Price Surge Impacts Markets: The S&P 500 index fell 0.24%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.01%, and the Nasdaq 100 index declined 0.31% on Monday as WTI crude prices surged over 6%, indicating market sensitivity to rising energy costs amid geopolitical tensions.
- Geopolitical Risks Escalate: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has raised market concerns, especially following U.S. Navy actions against Iranian tankers, which could exacerbate global oil and fuel shortages, further unsettling investor sentiment.
- Earnings Season Continues: So far, 81% of the 48 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q1 earnings projected to rise 12% year-over-year; however, excluding the tech sector, growth is only expected at 3%, highlighting signs of economic weakness.
- Airline Stocks Under Pressure: Airline stocks retreated as rising oil prices weighed on profits, with American Airlines and Alaska Air both down over 4%, reflecting the direct impact of fuel costs on company earnings and potential downward revisions in future profit expectations.
See More
U.S. Stocks Decline Amid Soaring Oil Prices
- Oil Price Surge Impacts Markets: The S&P 500 index fell 0.41%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.31%, and the Nasdaq 100 index declined 0.66% as WTI crude oil prices surged over 5%, indicating market sensitivity to rising energy costs amid doubts about peace talks regarding the Iran war.
- Geopolitical Risks Escalate: Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has raised market concerns, especially following U.S. Navy actions against Iranian tankers, which could exacerbate global oil and fuel shortages, further increasing market uncertainty.
- Earnings Season Continues: So far, 81% of the 48 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have beaten estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to rise 12% year-over-year; however, excluding the tech sector, the growth is only 3%, indicating signs of overall economic weakness.
- Airline Stocks Under Pressure: Airline and cruise line stocks are broadly down due to rising oil prices, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings down over 5% and American Airlines Group down over 4%, reflecting the negative impact of high fuel costs on company profits.
See More
Oil Price Surge Leads to Market Decline
- Market Decline: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.21%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.04%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.24%, indicating investor concerns over rising oil prices that could impact corporate earnings and overall market confidence.
- Oil Price Surge: WTI crude oil prices increased by over 5% due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the US's refusal to lift its naval blockade on Iranian vessels, which could exacerbate global oil and fuel shortages and raise operational costs for affected industries.
- Earnings Expectations: So far, 81% of the 48 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have exceeded estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to rise by 12% year-over-year; however, excluding the tech sector, growth is only expected to be 3%, indicating signs of an overall economic slowdown.
- Airline and Chip Stocks Under Pressure: Airline stocks are down due to rising fuel costs, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings falling over 6%, while chipmakers like Intel are also down more than 2%, reflecting the negative impact of high oil prices across multiple sectors.
See More
Salesforce CEO Embraces AI Amid Stock Decline
- Stock Decline: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff noted a 30% drop in the company's stock year-to-date, primarily driven by concerns over AI disrupting the SaaS sector, which has also seen the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF fall by 20%.
- AI Investment Strategy: Salesforce invested in Anthropic in 2023 and leverages models from OpenAI and Anthropic to enhance its Agentforce offering, demonstrating the company's swift adaptation to new technologies to improve client service capabilities.
- Customer Base Expansion: Agentforce is currently utilized by 23,000 of Salesforce's 150,000 customers, proving effective in handling issues like order statuses and refunds, although it still requires human intervention for more complex tasks.
- Pricing Model Adjustment: Salesforce introduced a hybrid pricing model allowing customers to purchase seat licenses while also paying per action for Agentforce usage, addressing potential reductions in seat demand as AI applications enable companies to operate with fewer employees.
See More
Bridgewater Increases NVIDIA Stake, Signaling Strong AI Confidence
- NVIDIA Stake Increase: Bridgewater increased its position in NVIDIA by over 54% last quarter, making it approximately 2.6% of the portfolio, reflecting strong confidence in AI chip infrastructure as the company reported a 73% year-over-year revenue increase to $68.13 billion, suggesting robust future demand.
- Semiconductor Supply Chain Investment: Bridgewater's second-largest tech holding is Lam Research, accounting for about 1.9% of the portfolio, and despite a modest 12% reduction last quarter, the company reported a 22% year-over-year revenue increase to $5.34 billion, indicating significant long-term growth potential driven by rising AI demand.
- Salesforce Software Positioning: Bridgewater holds approximately 1.8% in Salesforce, which saw a slight reduction, yet its Agentforce platform's annual recurring revenue surged 169% year-over-year to $800 million, showcasing strong growth in enterprise AI software, with management raising the FY30 revenue target to $63 billion.
- Alphabet Cloud Investment: Bridgewater maintains a significant position in Alphabet, representing about 1.8% of the portfolio, and despite a 40% reduction last quarter, Google Cloud's revenue jumped 48% year-over-year to $17.66 billion, indicating strong long-term benefits in AI and cloud computing, with planned capital expenditures of $175 billion to $185 billion in 2026.
See More
Salesforce CEO Benioff Rebuts AI Disruption Fears
- Sales Growth: Salesforce's recent quarterly sales increased by 12% to $11.2 billion, exceeding Wall Street expectations, although a soft fiscal first-quarter forecast has created cautious sentiment regarding the company's future performance.
- Agentforce Platform Progress: Since its launch in late 2024, Salesforce's Agentforce platform is now utilized by 23,000 of its 150,000 customers, indicating its potential in automating workflows and possibly generating new revenue streams for the company.
- AI Investment Strategy: Salesforce has invested over $300 million in AI startup Anthropic since 2023, which was recently valued at $380 billion and plans to go public later this year, a strategy that could support Salesforce's long-term growth.
- Analyst Optimism: Despite CRM shares declining over 30% in 2026, 35 out of 46 analysts recommend 'Buy' or higher, with an average price target of $268.87, implying a 48% upside, reflecting market confidence in a potential rebound.
See More
Stock Markets Decline Amid Soaring Oil Prices and Geopolitical Tensions
- Oil Price Surge Impacts Markets: The S&P 500 index fell 0.24%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.01%, and the Nasdaq 100 index declined 0.31% on Monday as WTI crude prices surged over 6%, indicating market sensitivity to rising energy costs amid geopolitical tensions.
- Geopolitical Risks Escalate: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has raised market concerns, especially following U.S. Navy actions against Iranian tankers, which could exacerbate global oil and fuel shortages, further unsettling investor sentiment.
- Earnings Season Continues: So far, 81% of the 48 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q1 earnings projected to rise 12% year-over-year; however, excluding the tech sector, growth is only expected at 3%, highlighting signs of economic weakness.
- Airline Stocks Under Pressure: Airline stocks retreated as rising oil prices weighed on profits, with American Airlines and Alaska Air both down over 4%, reflecting the direct impact of fuel costs on company earnings and potential downward revisions in future profit expectations.
See More
U.S. Stocks Decline Amid Soaring Oil Prices
- Oil Price Surge Impacts Markets: The S&P 500 index fell 0.41%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.31%, and the Nasdaq 100 index declined 0.66% as WTI crude oil prices surged over 5%, indicating market sensitivity to rising energy costs amid doubts about peace talks regarding the Iran war.
- Geopolitical Risks Escalate: Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has raised market concerns, especially following U.S. Navy actions against Iranian tankers, which could exacerbate global oil and fuel shortages, further increasing market uncertainty.
- Earnings Season Continues: So far, 81% of the 48 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have beaten estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to rise 12% year-over-year; however, excluding the tech sector, the growth is only 3%, indicating signs of overall economic weakness.
- Airline Stocks Under Pressure: Airline and cruise line stocks are broadly down due to rising oil prices, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings down over 5% and American Airlines Group down over 4%, reflecting the negative impact of high fuel costs on company profits.
See More
Oil Price Surge Leads to Market Decline
- Market Decline: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.21%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.04%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.24%, indicating investor concerns over rising oil prices that could impact corporate earnings and overall market confidence.
- Oil Price Surge: WTI crude oil prices increased by over 5% due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the US's refusal to lift its naval blockade on Iranian vessels, which could exacerbate global oil and fuel shortages and raise operational costs for affected industries.
- Earnings Expectations: So far, 81% of the 48 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have exceeded estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to rise by 12% year-over-year; however, excluding the tech sector, growth is only expected to be 3%, indicating signs of an overall economic slowdown.
- Airline and Chip Stocks Under Pressure: Airline stocks are down due to rising fuel costs, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings falling over 6%, while chipmakers like Intel are also down more than 2%, reflecting the negative impact of high oil prices across multiple sectors.
See More
Salesforce CEO Embraces AI Amid Stock Decline
- Stock Decline: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff noted a 30% drop in the company's stock year-to-date, primarily driven by concerns over AI disrupting the SaaS sector, which has also seen the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF fall by 20%.
- AI Investment Strategy: Salesforce invested in Anthropic in 2023 and leverages models from OpenAI and Anthropic to enhance its Agentforce offering, demonstrating the company's swift adaptation to new technologies to improve client service capabilities.
- Customer Base Expansion: Agentforce is currently utilized by 23,000 of Salesforce's 150,000 customers, proving effective in handling issues like order statuses and refunds, although it still requires human intervention for more complex tasks.
- Pricing Model Adjustment: Salesforce introduced a hybrid pricing model allowing customers to purchase seat licenses while also paying per action for Agentforce usage, addressing potential reductions in seat demand as AI applications enable companies to operate with fewer employees.
See More
Bridgewater Increases NVIDIA Stake, Signaling Strong AI Confidence
- NVIDIA Stake Increase: Bridgewater increased its position in NVIDIA by over 54% last quarter, making it approximately 2.6% of the portfolio, reflecting strong confidence in AI chip infrastructure as the company reported a 73% year-over-year revenue increase to $68.13 billion, suggesting robust future demand.
- Semiconductor Supply Chain Investment: Bridgewater's second-largest tech holding is Lam Research, accounting for about 1.9% of the portfolio, and despite a modest 12% reduction last quarter, the company reported a 22% year-over-year revenue increase to $5.34 billion, indicating significant long-term growth potential driven by rising AI demand.
- Salesforce Software Positioning: Bridgewater holds approximately 1.8% in Salesforce, which saw a slight reduction, yet its Agentforce platform's annual recurring revenue surged 169% year-over-year to $800 million, showcasing strong growth in enterprise AI software, with management raising the FY30 revenue target to $63 billion.
- Alphabet Cloud Investment: Bridgewater maintains a significant position in Alphabet, representing about 1.8% of the portfolio, and despite a 40% reduction last quarter, Google Cloud's revenue jumped 48% year-over-year to $17.66 billion, indicating strong long-term benefits in AI and cloud computing, with planned capital expenditures of $175 billion to $185 billion in 2026.
See More
