Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE: CRM) ended Monday’s session under pressure and stayed soft in extended trading. CRM closed at $254.58, down 2.92%, and was $253.50 in after-hours trading as of 5:59 p.m. ET (down another 0.42% from the close). [1]
That “after the bell” drift doesn’t point to a single new catalyst hitting the tape late in the day. Instead, Salesforce is being pulled by a familiar mix: risk-off sentiment in AI and mega-cap tech, heavy macro data risk into Tuesday morning, and ongoing investor debate over how quickly Salesforce can monetize Agentforce at scale.
Below is what happened today—and what matters most before the market opens Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
What happened to Salesforce stock today
Salesforce was one of the Dow’s notable decliners during Monday’s pullback. MarketWatch’s intraday tally cited Salesforce’s roughly $7.49 drop as part of the drag on the Dow, alongside 3M, with Salesforce and 3M together accounting for a meaningful portion of the index’s decline. [2]
From a trading perspective, activity was elevated:
- CRM traded as low as $253.09 during the session, and mid-day volume was running about 30% above average (roughly 10.2 million shares). [3]
- The stock finished the day still above key moving averages tracked by several market-data services (50-day around $245.50; 200-day around $251.92). [4]
Why CRM fell: the market’s AI mood turned cautious again
Salesforce’s decline fits into a broader Monday narrative: investors grew more skeptical that today’s AI spending will translate cleanly into tomorrow’s profits.
One widely shared market recap pointed to “AI bubble” concerns and said the selloff intensified after Broadcom warned that higher AI-system sales could mean thinner margins, sparking a rotation out of higher-beta tech names. [5]
Reuters’ end-of-day wrap reinforced the same tone:
- U.S. indexes closed lower (Dow -0.09%, S&P 500 -0.16%, Nasdaq -0.59%). [6]
- The information technology sector slipped, with Reuters noting software/tech weakness that included a sharp drop in ServiceNow tied to deal chatter. [7]
For Salesforce investors, the key takeaway is simple: when the market is repricing the “AI trade” and long-duration growth stocks, CRM often trades with the group—even on a quiet company-news day.
Wall Street forecasts today: Truist stays bullish on Agentforce and keeps a $380 target
While the tape was negative, the analyst messaging was notably more constructive.
In a note published Monday morning, Truist Securities reiterated a Buy rating and maintained a $380 price target after Salesforce’s recent Agentforce customer event. [8]
Truist’s core argument: leading indicators tied to bookings and backlog imply the AI push could translate into better subscription growth later.
- Truist pointed to the importance of net new annual order value (NNAOV) accelerating relative to other measures (AOV and cRPO), interpreting that as a sign of improving subscription and support revenue growth into FY2027 and beyond. [9]
- The firm also referenced an investor relations event held late last week focused on Agentforce and “increased business momentum.” [10]
Today’s coverage also highlighted the range of Street targets and ratings:
- MarketBeat’s compilation shows a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $326.46 consensus price target and published targets spanning roughly $260 to $430. [11]
- Investing.com’s roundup cited other major firms’ targets including Mizuho ($340), Cantor Fitzgerald ($325), UBS ($260), and TD Cowen ($305). [12]
The market message: analysts are still largely underwriting Salesforce as a long-term AI monetization winner—but near-term stock performance is being dominated by macro and sentiment.
Quick fundamentals recap investors referenced today: earnings beat, guidance in focus
Several “what’s next” market recaps re-surfaced the most recent earnings details as context for the stock’s positioning:
- Salesforce’s latest quarterly report showed EPS of $3.25 vs. $2.86 expected, with revenue of $10.26B roughly in line with consensus. [13]
- The company’s Q4 FY2026 EPS guidance was cited at $3.020–$3.040. [14]
- Some services also cite a current-year EPS expectation around 7.46 (consensus-style estimate). [15]
This matters for Tuesday because macro-driven repricing tends to hit valuation-sensitive stocks hardest, and Salesforce remains a name where forward growth expectations are central to the multiple.
Salesforce corporate catalysts to know going into Tuesday
Even if none of these items are “fresh after-hours headlines,” they’re the types of developments that can suddenly become stock-moving when the market is searching for company-specific narrative.
A real-world Agentforce customer: U.S. DOT expansion
Last week, Salesforce announced an expanded initiative with the U.S. Department of Transportation, including plans to deploy Agentforce for routine-task handling, 24/7 support, and incident alerts. [16]
Investors tracking AI monetization often look for exactly this: credible, scaled customer deployments that can translate into durable spend.
Tomorrow’s on-the-ground event: Agentforce World Tour Chicago (Dec. 16)
Salesforce is hosting Agentforce World Tour Chicago on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CT). [17]
For the stock, what matters isn’t the event itself—it’s the possibility of product announcements, customer proof points, partner updates, or pricing/bundling details that can drive the next analyst note cycle.
Dividend watch: record date is close
Salesforce’s board declared a $0.416/share quarterly dividend payable Jan. 8, 2026 to shareholders of record Dec. 18, 2025. [18]
Market data services list the next ex-dividend date as Dec. 18, 2025 as well. [19]
That’s not a primary catalyst for a mega-cap software stock—but it can influence short-term positioning and calendar-driven flows.
Institutional and insider signals highlighted today
Multiple “filing” roundups published today emphasized positioning changes and insider transactions. These are mostly Q2/Q3 13F-era moves (i.e., not real-time trading signals), but they shape the narrative of who has been accumulating or trimming CRM.
Examples highlighted in today’s coverage:
- One fund reduced its stake significantly in Q2, according to a 13F summary. [20]
- Another advisory firm increased its stake in Q3. [21]
- MarketBeat also pointed to mixed insider signals: a director purchase (96,000 shares) contrasted with net insider selling over the past 90 days. [22]
The practical takeaway: positioning looks mixed—not euphoric, not capitulatory—heading into a high-macro-risk week.
What to watch before the stock market opens Tuesday (Dec. 16, 2025)
Here are the “morning movers” most likely to swing Salesforce (and the broader software complex) before and shortly after the opening bell:
1) The delayed U.S. Jobs Report at 8:30 a.m. ET
The BLS is scheduled to publish the Employment Situation for November 2025 on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 8:30 a.m. ET. [23]
Because the report is being released after a disruptive shutdown period, Reuters has warned of unusual gaps—such as missing October unemployment-rate details—that could make market interpretation messier than normal. [24]
Why Salesforce investors should care: rates and duration risk. If the report moves Treasury yields meaningfully, high-multiple enterprise software often reacts quickly.
2) Additional scheduled U.S. data Tuesday morning
Beyond the jobs report, the New York Fed’s calendar lists additional releases on Dec. 16, including:
- Business Leaders Survey (8:30 a.m.)
- Imports and Exports (8:30 a.m.)
- New Residential Construction (8:30 a.m.)
- Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (9:15 a.m.) [25]
Even if you don’t trade macro, these prints can influence the risk tone that sets the bid for CRM.
3) Watch the “AI profitability” narrative in semis—and spillover into software
Monday’s tech weakness was tied in part to worries about whether the AI buildout generates enough profit across the stack. [26]
If semis or hyperscaler commentary moves overnight, it can quickly affect software names that are priced for AI upside.
4) Any headlines from Salesforce’ Agentforce ecosystem (and peers)
Keep an eye on:
- Agentforce World Tour Chicago headlines Tuesday (product, pricing, customer wins). [27]
- Peer moves in enterprise software, especially after Monday’s sharp drop in ServiceNow highlighted by Reuters. [28]
5) After-hours positioning vs. key technical levels
CRM’s after-hours dip is modest relative to Monday’s selloff, but the market is sitting near levels technicians often watch (including the 200-day zone cited in market-data roundups). [29]
If premarket trading breaks decisively below/above those reference points, it can influence the “open” narrative.
Bottom line for CRM heading into Tuesday
Salesforce stock is closing Monday with a macro hangover, not a company-specific shock. The Street’s fundamental debate remains intact: bulls see Agentforce adoption translating into improving subscription momentum (Truist’s view), while the market is temporarily more focused on whether the AI trade is getting ahead of itself and how Tuesday’s data will reshape rate expectations. [30]
References
1. stockanalysis.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. www.marketbeat.com, 4. www.marketbeat.com, 5. stockstory.org, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.investing.com, 9. www.investing.com, 10. www.investing.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com, 12. www.investing.com, 13. www.marketbeat.com, 14. www.marketbeat.com, 15. www.marketbeat.com, 16. www.salesforce.com, 17. www.salesforce.com, 18. investor.salesforce.com, 19. stockanalysis.com, 20. www.marketbeat.com, 21. www.marketbeat.com, 22. www.marketbeat.com, 23. www.bls.gov, 24. www.reuters.com, 25. www.newyorkfed.org, 26. stockstory.org, 27. www.salesforce.com, 28. www.reuters.com, 29. www.marketbeat.com, 30. www.investing.com
