AI Concerns Trigger Market Turmoil
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 15 2026
0mins
Should l Buy CRM?
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Market Volatility Intensifies: The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both fell over 1% last week due to AI concerns, with sell-offs in Financial Services, Consumer Discretionary, and tech stocks indicating the potential impact of AI across multiple industries.
- Logistics Sector Hit: Shares of C.H. Robinson and Universal Logistics dropped 11% and 9%, respectively, after a Florida-based company announced a new tool to scale freight volumes without increasing headcount, highlighting AI's threat to traditional logistics models.
- Wealth Management Turmoil: Charles Schwab and Raymond James saw their stocks decline by 10% and 8%, respectively, as the launch of an AI-driven tax tool raised fears about pressure on high advisory fees, further fueling market concerns over automation.
- Investor Sentiment Cautious: Despite the sell-off, analysts believe the current pullback is a short-term phenomenon, forecasting the S&P 500 to reach 7,600 by year-end, reflecting optimism towards other sectors amidst the volatility.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy CRM?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
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: 194.340
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
Current: 194.340
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
About CRM
Salesforce, Inc. is a provider of customer relationship management (CRM) technology. The Company helps organizations of any size reimagine their business for the world of artificial intelligence (AI). With Agentforce, its platform, organizations can bring humans together with AI agents to drive customer success on one deeply unified platform. With the Salesforce platform, it delivers a single source of truth, connecting customer data with integrated AI across systems, apps and devices to help companies sell, service, market and conduct commerce from anywhere. Agentforce is a new layer of the Salesforce platform that enables companies to build and deploy AI agents that can respond to inputs, make decisions and take action autonomously across business functions. Agentforce includes a suite of customizable agents for use across sales, service, marketing and commerce. Datablazer is a data-driven innovator, which leverages the Company’s platform to unlock insights and drive decisions.
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's Agentforce Platform Achieves Remarkable Success
- Surge in Transactions: Salesforce's Agentforce platform has closed 29,000 deals within just 15 months of its launch, indicating strong market demand that is expected to further drive revenue growth for the company.
- Significant Revenue Growth: The platform has achieved an annual revenue run rate of approximately $800 million, reflecting the effective application of AI technology that is generating substantial financial returns and enhancing Salesforce's competitive position.
- Increased Customer Spending: Companies adopting the Agentforce platform have increased their spending by two to four times, which not only boosts Salesforce's revenue potential but also may expand its market share, further solidifying its industry standing.
- Enhanced Shareholder Confidence: Salesforce's announcement of a $50 billion share repurchase program underscores management's confidence in the company's long-term outlook, which is expected to have a positive impact on its stock price.
See More
Salesforce's AI Strategy Drives Significant Revenue Growth
- Strong Financial Performance: Salesforce reported $41.5 billion in revenue for fiscal 2026, a 10% year-over-year increase, reflecting strong customer commitment, while remaining performance obligations reached $72 billion, indicating a robust future project pipeline.
- Rapid Growth of AI Platform: The Agentforce platform achieved an annual revenue run rate of $800 million by the end of fiscal 2026, up 169% year-over-year, with approximately 29,000 deals signed within 15 months of launch, showcasing rapid adoption and market demand for AI agents.
- Integrated Data Platform Advantage: The combined annual recurring revenue of Agentforce and Data 360 exceeded $2.9 billion at the end of fiscal 2026, growing over 200%, indicating that Salesforce is building an integrated secure platform that enhances enterprise data connectivity rather than merely adding AI features to CRM software.
- Significant Customer Success Cases: Wyndham Hotels deployed over 5,000 Agentforce solutions across more than 8,300 hotels, resulting in a 2% increase in direct bookings, while SharkNinja's Salesforce agents handled nearly 250,000 customer interactions in Q4 2025, demonstrating the commercial success of these AI tools.
See More
Salesforce's Agentforce Reaches $800 Million Annual Revenue
- Significant Revenue Growth: At the end of fiscal 2026, Salesforce's Agentforce platform achieved an annual revenue run rate of approximately $800 million, reflecting a remarkable 169% year-over-year increase, indicating strong growth potential in the AI-driven customer relationship management sector.
- Strong Contract Backlog: Salesforce reported a contracted backlog of $72 billion at the end of fiscal 2026, with $35.1 billion expected to be recognized within the next 12 months, marking a 16% year-over-year increase and demonstrating long-term customer commitments to the company.
- Widespread AI Adoption: In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, over 75% of Salesforce's top 100 deals included both Agentforce and Data 360, highlighting the integration of AI technology with core services, which enhances the company's competitive edge in the market.
- Successful Customer Deployments: Wyndham Hotels has rolled out over 5,000 Agentforce deployments across more than 8,300 hotels, resulting in a 200 basis point increase in direct bookings, showcasing the effectiveness and commercial success of AI agents in real-world applications.
See More
Salesforce's AI Strategy Fuels Growth Potential
- Strong Financial Performance: Salesforce reported a 10% year-over-year revenue increase to $41.5 billion for fiscal 2026, indicating enhanced long-term customer commitments, with remaining performance obligations reaching $72 billion, solidifying its position in the CRM industry.
- Rapid Growth of AI Agents: The Agentforce platform achieved an annual revenue run rate of $800 million by the end of fiscal 2026, up 169% year-over-year, with approximately 29,000 deals closed in the first 15 months post-launch, showcasing its extensive application in automating business workflows.
- Significant Customer Success Stories: Wyndham Hotels deployed over 5,000 Agentforce agents across 8,300 hotels, resulting in a 200-basis point increase in direct bookings, while SharkNinja reported nearly 250,000 customer interactions handled by Salesforce agents shortly after deployment in Q4 2025, demonstrating the commercial success of these tools.
- Clear Data Asset Advantage: With 26 years of customer data, Salesforce's data asset is significantly more valuable, as the effectiveness of AI agents relies on relevant data; the company's integrated platform connects enterprise data, business applications, and AI agents, poised to transform CRM software operations by the end of 2026.
See More
Volatile Software Stocks Present Investment Opportunities, Says Apollo's David Sambur
- Market Volatility Analysis: David Sambur from Apollo Global Management stated that the selloff in software stocks due to fears of AI disruption is far from over, as the IGV Software ETF has rebounded about 3% in March but is still down 20% this year, indicating significant market uncertainty.
- Competitive Environment Challenges: Sambur highlighted that software companies are facing critical questions regarding revenue models, gross margins, competitive landscapes, and valuations, particularly with intensified competition from firms like Anthropic and OpenAI, which could lead to substantial shifts in market dynamics.
- Investment Opportunity Assessment: Despite the overshadowing AI fears, Sambur sees investment opportunities arising from share buybacks announced by companies like Intuit, Hubspot, and Salesforce, especially as reduced M&A activity may limit innovation in the sector.
- Future Uncertainty: Sambur emphasized that the industry's inability to predict software evolution over the next 1 to 5 years has led investors to recalibrate valuations and incorporate greater margins of safety, reflecting concerns over the rapid technological changes affecting the market.
See More
Software Stocks Face Grim Outlook Amid Intensifying AI Disruption
- Uncertain Future for Software Stocks: David Sambur, Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo, stated that the selloff in software stocks is far from over, as investors question the sector's revenue and gross margin models amid intensifying AI competition.
- Accelerated AI Impact: Sambur noted that the pace of displacement caused by AI is the fastest he has ever witnessed in his career, creating unprecedented competitive pressure for software companies, particularly against rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI.
- Limited Market Rebound: Although the IGV Software ETF rebounded about 3% in March, it remains down 20% for the year, and Sambur believes that this market recovery does not alter the fundamental issues facing software companies, especially regarding revenue models and gross margins.
- Buybacks and Innovation Risks: With companies like Intuit, Hubspot, and Salesforce announcing share repurchases, Sambur pointed out that these buybacks could be seen as a signal of companies waving the white flag on innovation, as they reduce available capital for future mergers and acquisitions, impacting long-term industry growth.
See More
Salesforce's Agentforce Platform Achieves Remarkable Success
- Surge in Transactions: Salesforce's Agentforce platform has closed 29,000 deals within just 15 months of its launch, indicating strong market demand that is expected to further drive revenue growth for the company.
- Significant Revenue Growth: The platform has achieved an annual revenue run rate of approximately $800 million, reflecting the effective application of AI technology that is generating substantial financial returns and enhancing Salesforce's competitive position.
- Increased Customer Spending: Companies adopting the Agentforce platform have increased their spending by two to four times, which not only boosts Salesforce's revenue potential but also may expand its market share, further solidifying its industry standing.
- Enhanced Shareholder Confidence: Salesforce's announcement of a $50 billion share repurchase program underscores management's confidence in the company's long-term outlook, which is expected to have a positive impact on its stock price.
See More
Salesforce's AI Strategy Drives Significant Revenue Growth
- Strong Financial Performance: Salesforce reported $41.5 billion in revenue for fiscal 2026, a 10% year-over-year increase, reflecting strong customer commitment, while remaining performance obligations reached $72 billion, indicating a robust future project pipeline.
- Rapid Growth of AI Platform: The Agentforce platform achieved an annual revenue run rate of $800 million by the end of fiscal 2026, up 169% year-over-year, with approximately 29,000 deals signed within 15 months of launch, showcasing rapid adoption and market demand for AI agents.
- Integrated Data Platform Advantage: The combined annual recurring revenue of Agentforce and Data 360 exceeded $2.9 billion at the end of fiscal 2026, growing over 200%, indicating that Salesforce is building an integrated secure platform that enhances enterprise data connectivity rather than merely adding AI features to CRM software.
- Significant Customer Success Cases: Wyndham Hotels deployed over 5,000 Agentforce solutions across more than 8,300 hotels, resulting in a 2% increase in direct bookings, while SharkNinja's Salesforce agents handled nearly 250,000 customer interactions in Q4 2025, demonstrating the commercial success of these AI tools.
See More
Salesforce's Agentforce Reaches $800 Million Annual Revenue
- Significant Revenue Growth: At the end of fiscal 2026, Salesforce's Agentforce platform achieved an annual revenue run rate of approximately $800 million, reflecting a remarkable 169% year-over-year increase, indicating strong growth potential in the AI-driven customer relationship management sector.
- Strong Contract Backlog: Salesforce reported a contracted backlog of $72 billion at the end of fiscal 2026, with $35.1 billion expected to be recognized within the next 12 months, marking a 16% year-over-year increase and demonstrating long-term customer commitments to the company.
- Widespread AI Adoption: In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, over 75% of Salesforce's top 100 deals included both Agentforce and Data 360, highlighting the integration of AI technology with core services, which enhances the company's competitive edge in the market.
- Successful Customer Deployments: Wyndham Hotels has rolled out over 5,000 Agentforce deployments across more than 8,300 hotels, resulting in a 200 basis point increase in direct bookings, showcasing the effectiveness and commercial success of AI agents in real-world applications.
See More
Salesforce's AI Strategy Fuels Growth Potential
- Strong Financial Performance: Salesforce reported a 10% year-over-year revenue increase to $41.5 billion for fiscal 2026, indicating enhanced long-term customer commitments, with remaining performance obligations reaching $72 billion, solidifying its position in the CRM industry.
- Rapid Growth of AI Agents: The Agentforce platform achieved an annual revenue run rate of $800 million by the end of fiscal 2026, up 169% year-over-year, with approximately 29,000 deals closed in the first 15 months post-launch, showcasing its extensive application in automating business workflows.
- Significant Customer Success Stories: Wyndham Hotels deployed over 5,000 Agentforce agents across 8,300 hotels, resulting in a 200-basis point increase in direct bookings, while SharkNinja reported nearly 250,000 customer interactions handled by Salesforce agents shortly after deployment in Q4 2025, demonstrating the commercial success of these tools.
- Clear Data Asset Advantage: With 26 years of customer data, Salesforce's data asset is significantly more valuable, as the effectiveness of AI agents relies on relevant data; the company's integrated platform connects enterprise data, business applications, and AI agents, poised to transform CRM software operations by the end of 2026.
See More
Volatile Software Stocks Present Investment Opportunities, Says Apollo's David Sambur
- Market Volatility Analysis: David Sambur from Apollo Global Management stated that the selloff in software stocks due to fears of AI disruption is far from over, as the IGV Software ETF has rebounded about 3% in March but is still down 20% this year, indicating significant market uncertainty.
- Competitive Environment Challenges: Sambur highlighted that software companies are facing critical questions regarding revenue models, gross margins, competitive landscapes, and valuations, particularly with intensified competition from firms like Anthropic and OpenAI, which could lead to substantial shifts in market dynamics.
- Investment Opportunity Assessment: Despite the overshadowing AI fears, Sambur sees investment opportunities arising from share buybacks announced by companies like Intuit, Hubspot, and Salesforce, especially as reduced M&A activity may limit innovation in the sector.
- Future Uncertainty: Sambur emphasized that the industry's inability to predict software evolution over the next 1 to 5 years has led investors to recalibrate valuations and incorporate greater margins of safety, reflecting concerns over the rapid technological changes affecting the market.
See More
Software Stocks Face Grim Outlook Amid Intensifying AI Disruption
- Uncertain Future for Software Stocks: David Sambur, Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo, stated that the selloff in software stocks is far from over, as investors question the sector's revenue and gross margin models amid intensifying AI competition.
- Accelerated AI Impact: Sambur noted that the pace of displacement caused by AI is the fastest he has ever witnessed in his career, creating unprecedented competitive pressure for software companies, particularly against rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI.
- Limited Market Rebound: Although the IGV Software ETF rebounded about 3% in March, it remains down 20% for the year, and Sambur believes that this market recovery does not alter the fundamental issues facing software companies, especially regarding revenue models and gross margins.
- Buybacks and Innovation Risks: With companies like Intuit, Hubspot, and Salesforce announcing share repurchases, Sambur pointed out that these buybacks could be seen as a signal of companies waving the white flag on innovation, as they reduce available capital for future mergers and acquisitions, impacting long-term industry growth.
See More
