Software Industry Faces Valuation Reset Amidst Market Turmoil
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 23 2026
0mins
Should l Buy CRM?
Source: Benzinga
- Valuation Reset: The software industry has experienced a massive valuation reset, wiping out nearly $1 trillion in market value and driving several industry giants to 52-week lows, indicating a significant decline in market confidence in the SaaS model that may affect future investment decisions.
- Increased Stock Volatility: According to Benzinga Pro, several key SaaS stocks have seen significant volatility as of late February, prompting investors to closely monitor these stocks' performance to assess the overall health of the industry.
- Earnings Reports in Focus: This week’s earnings reports from Salesforce, Snowflake, and ZScaler are set to be market highlights, with analysts and investors eager for insights from executives that could influence stock price movements and provide guidance on the sector's future.
- Uncertain Industry Outlook: Amidst blizzard warnings, the future of the software industry remains uncertain, necessitating cautious evaluation of market dynamics by investors to navigate potential further volatility.
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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: 186.340
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
Current: 186.340
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.
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- Investor Call Live Broadcast: The company will host a live broadcast at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) to discuss its financial results, aiming to engage with the investment community and bolster market confidence.
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See More
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- Strong Employment Data: Initial jobless claims in the U.S. rose by 10,000 to 200,000, indicating a stronger labor market than the expected 205,000, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell by 10,000 to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million, showcasing economic resilience.
- Productivity and Costs: U.S. Q1 nonfarm productivity increased by 0.8%, surpassing expectations of 0.6%, while unit labor costs rose by 2.3%, below the anticipated 2.5%, which may influence future inflation expectations and Fed policy decisions.
- Fed Policy Outlook: Boston Fed President indicated that interest rates should remain at “mildly restrictive” levels, suggesting that if inflation trends worsen significantly, a reassessment of policy would be necessary, with markets pricing in only a 6% chance of a rate cut at the next FOMC meeting.
See More
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- Crude Oil Price Decline: WTI crude oil prices fell by more than 4% as markets await updates on a potential US-Iran peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, negatively impacting energy producers and leading to widespread declines in related stocks.
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Small Profits: The blog post highlights the trend of small profits in these sectors, indicating potential challenges for job seekers and companies alike.
See More
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- Oil Price Decline: WTI crude oil prices fell by more than 4% today as the market awaits updates on a potential US-Iran peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, impacting global oil prices and supply chains.
- Stable Labor Market: Initial US unemployment claims rose by 10,000 to 200,000, below expectations of 205,000, indicating labor market resilience, while continuing claims unexpectedly fell to a 2.25-year low of 1.766 million.
- Strong Corporate Earnings: So far, 84% of the 411 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have beaten estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to climb 12% year-over-year, reflecting ongoing improvements in corporate profitability, although growth outside the tech sector is only 3%.
See More
