New York, March 3, 2026, 17:40 ET — Trading after the bell.
- Salesforce shares climbed roughly 1.6% after hours, bucking the broader U.S. market’s decline earlier in the day.
- The company’s latest annual filing detailed its $50 billion share repurchase authorization, along with the recent rate of buybacks.
- Investors are trying to gauge if buybacks might help stabilize software stocks, with AI-driven uncertainty still hanging over the sector.
Salesforce (CRM.N) climbed roughly 1.6% to $196.05 in after-hours trade Tuesday, following a session range between $187.22 and $198.57. Still, shares sit far from the 52-week high.
This was notable with the rest of the tape choppy. Investors were still picking through the aftermath of a sharp risk-off session—blame inflation jitters and climbing energy prices—but software stocks managed to outperform much of the group.
So Salesforce is right back where it often lands—a high-profile, easily traded software giant standing in for the broader fate of “old” SaaS as AI forces a rethink on spending and product timelines. Buybacks figure into the story these days too, for better or worse.
U.S. stocks slipped on Tuesday, pressured by renewed fears over the Middle East conflict and rising energy prices fueling inflation worries. Still, indexes clawed back from earlier lows. “Investors are growing anxious about the duration of the war,” said Joseph Tanious of Northern Trust Asset Management. Reuters
Salesforce’s latest annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that back in February, the board cleared a fresh $50.0 billion buyback plan, taking the place of what was left under the old authorization. For the fiscal year that wrapped up on Jan. 31, 2026, the company put $12.6 billion toward share repurchases. The filing also lists a $0.44 per share quarterly dividend payable April 23 to anyone on record as of April 9. SEC
The filing comes as investors argue over whether buybacks are really enough to stem losses in software stocks. The S&P 500 software index has dropped 28% since late October, according to Reuters, and U.S.-listed software companies have greenlit $70.5 billion in stock repurchases since Jan. 12. “When a company announces a buyback … that is an attempt to stop the decline,” said Andrew Slimmon at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Peter Tuz at Chase Investment Counsel put it more bluntly: “I don’t think the buybacks are enough.” Reuters
Buybacks boost earnings per share, just by reducing the number of shares out there. But that’s not a solution for demand, and investors still want evidence AI won’t eat into subscription prices or speed up churn.
Salesforce, meanwhile, is betting big on “agentic” AI—software built to act, not just respond to prompts—and it’s doubling down on this push through its partner network.
Salesforce on Monday announced a shakeup to its consulting partner program, trimming it down to just two tiers and shifting its partner recognition framework to focus on 28 core competencies linked directly to customer results. “Specialization is the new currency of the agentic era,” wrote Salesforce executive Nick Johnston in a company post. Salesforce
Competitive pressure isn’t theoretical. Larger rivals are also deploying buybacks and touting their AI credentials. For smaller software names, pitching a durable growth narrative has become much harder amid a choppy tape.
The risk cuts both ways. Rising energy costs could still drive yields higher, squeezing software valuations further—buybacks won’t be enough to counter that. And if AI convinces customers that swapping out software bundles is less of a hassle, investors will want to see it in bookings and renewals, not just another round of capital-return headlines.
Now, attention shifts to Salesforce and any sign of accelerated buybacks following the fresh authorization. More immediately, eyes are on the cash-return timeline: April 9 stands as the record date for the upcoming dividend, scheduled for April 23 payout.
