Salesforce Stock Is Soaring: What's Going On?

Salesforce Inc (NYSE: CRM) shares are up more than 15% Thursday in the wake of the company's better-than-expected financial results and strong guidance. Several analysts are also out with positive adjustments following the print.

• Q4 Revenue: $8.38 billion beat estimates of $7.99 billion
• Q4 EPS: $1.68 beat estimates of $1.37

Salesforce said it returned $2.3 billion to shareholders in the quarter in the form of buybacks. The company also increased its buyback authorization to $20 billion.

"We closed FY23 with operating cash flow reaching $7.1 billion, up 19% year-over-year, the highest cash flow in our company's history, and one of the highest cash flows of any enterprise software company our size," said Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce.

Outlook: Salesforce sees first-quarter revenue in a range of $8.16 billion to $8.18 billion versus estimates of $8.05 billion. The company expects first-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.60 to $1.61 per share versus estimates of $1.32 per share.

Salesforce expects full-year 2023 revenue to be between $34.5 billion and $34.7 billion versus estimates of $34.03 billion. The company sees full-year earnings in a range of $7.12 to $7.14 per share versus estimates of $5.84 per share. 

"Our relentless focus on execution and proactive management of the current environment allowed us to close out a strong quarter and set us up for a transformational fiscal year 24," said Amy Weaver, president and CFO of Salesforce.

See Also: Salesforce Shares Are Trading Higher By Around 15%; Here Are 20 Other Stocks Moving Premarket

Analyst Assessment:

• Piper Sandler analyst Brent Bracelin maintained Salesforce with an Overweight and raised the price target from $171 to $230.
• Baird analyst Rob Oliver maintained Salesforce with a Neutral and raised the price target from $150 to $200.
• JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy maintained Salesforce with an Overweight and raised the price target from $200 to $230.
• Raymond James analyst Brian Peterson maintained Salesforce with a Strong Buy and raised the price target from $200 to $240.
• Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss maintained Salesforce with an Overweight and raised the price target from $236 to $240.
• JMP Securities analyst Patrick Walravens reiterated Salesforce with a Market Perform and maintained a $250 price target.

Check This Out: Elliott Statement on Salesforce

CRM Price Action: Salesforce has a 52-week high of $222.15 and a 52-week low of $126.34. 

The stock was up 15.7% at $193.50 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro.

Photo: courtesy of Salesforce.