Salesforce continues to make decisive moves to cement its position in the competitive artificial intelligence landscape. In a significant strategic step, the customer relationship management leader announced on Tuesday its agreement to acquire Qualified, a specialist in AI-powered marketing solutions. This development coincides with investment bank BTIG initiating coverage on the stock, assigning a price target of $335 per share, which implies an upside potential of approximately 30 percent from current levels.
Analyst Confidence and Financial Performance
The market outlook for Salesforce appears increasingly positive. BTIG analyst Allan Verkhovski, in launching coverage, pointed to the company’s successful platform realignment and its strong positioning in the race for generative AI solutions. He specifically highlighted impressive progress within the Agentforce division, noting its growth in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
This optimism is supported by the company’s solid operational foundation. For the third quarter of the current fiscal year, Salesforce reported earnings per share of $3.25, significantly surpassing consensus estimates of $2.86. Revenue climbed 9.1 percent year-over-year to reach $10.26 billion.
Furthermore, a notable insider transaction occurred in early December when board director G. Mason Morfit purchased 96,000 shares worth approximately $25 million. Purchases of this magnitude by company insiders are frequently interpreted as a vote of confidence in future prospects.
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The Qualified Acquisition: A Strategic Fit
The acquisition of Qualified brings a targeted AI capability into Salesforce’s ecosystem. Qualified’s flagship solution, “Piper,” is designed to convert website visitors into qualified sales conversations. The plan is to integrate this technology directly into the Agentforce platform, thereby enhancing the capabilities of both the Sales and Marketing Clouds.
A smooth integration process is anticipated, as the company’s founders, Kraig Swensrud and Sean Whiteley, are both former Salesforce executives. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, though financial terms were not disclosed.
Validating the AI Strategy with Major Deals
The momentum behind Salesforce’s AI push is being validated by substantial enterprise contracts. Pharmaceutical giant Novartis has committed to a multi-year, global rollout of “Agentforce Life Sciences.” Separately, the U.S. Department of Transportation is consolidating over ten legacy systems onto the Salesforce platform, utilizing AI agents as part of its modernization effort.
Looking ahead, management has provided fourth-quarter guidance for earnings per share in the range of $3.02 to $3.04. The broader analyst consensus currently rates the stock as a “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $326. The key challenge for Salesforce will be to swiftly integrate Qualified’s technology and defend its market leadership against a new wave of native AI competitors.
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