Is Now the Time to Buy Salesforce? Here's What the Numbers Reveal

By Keith Speights – Mar 28, 2026 at 4:42AM ESTKey PointsSalesforce's profitability is near its highest level ever.The stock's valuation is more attractive than it's been in years.Some SaaS companies could be disrupted by agentic AI, but Salesforce isn't likely to be one of them.Once upon a time, Salesforce (CRM 3.41%) was the poster child for growth. The company pioneered cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) systems. However, Salesforce's share price has declined over the last five years, a period in which the S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.67%) soared nearly 70%. The significant gap between Salesforce's performance and the S&P 500 widened amid the widespread sell-off of SaaS stocks this year. But is now the time to buy Salesforce stock? Here's what the numbers reveal. ExpandNYSE: CRMSalesforceToday's Change(-3.41%) $-6.33Current Price$179.31Key Data PointsMarket Cap$166BDay's Range$178.82 - $184.1152wk Range$174.57 - $296.05Volume9.9MAvg Vol12MGross Margin75.28%Dividend Yield0.93% Salesforce by the numbers Importantly, Salesforce's revenue continues to grow, rising 12% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $11.2 billion. Granted, revenue growth has been much slower than in the past. However, Salesforce's growth rate isn't too shabby for a mature company with a market cap of $170 billion-plus. Salesforce reported $72 billion in total remaining performance obligations (RPO) in Q4, a 14% year-over-year increase. RPOs are contracted, non-cancelable future revenue that the cloud software company hasn't recognized yet. CEO Marc Benioff called reaching this RPO level "an incredible milestone." The company's profitability is near its highest level ever. Salesforce's operating margin based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) was 20.1% in fiscal year 2026. Its non-GAAP operating margin stood at 34.1%. Thanks to the so-called "SaaSpocalypse," Salesforce's valuation is more attractive than it's been in years. The stock trades at only 13.8 times forward earnings. Salesforce is taking advantage of this discount to repurchase shares. The company recently announced a $50 billion share repurchase plan, following $12.7 billion in stock buybacks in the last fiscal year. Image source: Getty Images. Adding up to a solid pick Salesforce's numbers seem to add up to the stock being a solid pick. But what about the concerns that AI will disrupt the company's business model? I think they're greatly overblown. Agentic AI is more of a tailwind for Salesforce than a threat. The company has closed over 29,000 deals for its Agentforce agentic AI platform since the product launched in late 2024. The number of customers using Agentforce soared nearly 50% quarter over quarter in Q4. Major companies using the product include Amazon (AMZN 3.89%), AT&T (T +0.86%), and Pfizer (PFE 1.92%). In Salesforce's Q4 earnings conference call, Benioff stated, "This obviously is not a rational market." I think he's right. Some SaaS stocks could be in trouble as agentic AI rapidly gains adoption, but Salesforce isn't likely to be one of them. Read NextMar 27, 2026 •By Adam LevyThis Software Company Is Betting $25 Billion That Its Stock Is Severely Undervalued Right NowMar 26, 2026 •By Billy DubersteinThis Tech Giant Is Buying Back Stock Hand Over Fist.

Insiders Are Buying, Too.

Should You Follow?Mar 24, 2026 •By Billy DubersteinWhy Salesforce Plunged Again TodayMar 24, 2026 •By Keith SpeightsThe Smart Money Is Buying the Tech Stocks Retail Investors Are Panic-SellingMar 23, 2026 •By Anders BylundWho Owns OpenAI? Details of the Top Shareholders & Board of DirectiorsMar 23, 2026 •By Manali Pradhan, CFAOnce-in-a-Decade Opportunity: 1 AI Software Stock to Buy While It's Still DownAbout the AuthorKeith Speights is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare analyst covering publicly traded companies across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, technology, and marijuana. Prior to The Motley Fool, Keith was CEO of Constant Care Technology, a healthcare technology company; vice president of American HealthTech, a healthcare software company; and a director of operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, a health insurer. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University.TMFFishBizStocks MentionedSalesforceNYSE: CRM$179.31(-3.41%)-$6.33AmazonNASDAQ: AMZN$199.47(-3.89%)-$8.07AT&TNYSE: T$29.17(+0.86%)+$0.25S&P 500 IndexSNPINDEX: ^GSPC$6,368.85(-1.67%)-$108.31PfizerNYSE: PFE$27.06(-1.87%)-$0.52*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.