New York, January 12, 2026, 20:14 EST — The market has closed.
- Goldman Sachs kicked off coverage on Salesforce, assigning a Buy rating and setting a $330 price target; Barclays responded by raising its target to $338.
- Shares closed Monday roughly 0.2% lower, at $259.40.
- Tuesday’s U.S. CPI report and Salesforce’s conference comments are drawing investor attention for new clues on AI demand.
Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) shares dipped about 0.2% Monday, even as Goldman Sachs kicked off coverage with a Buy rating and a $330 price target. The stock wrapped at $259.40, after fluctuating between $255.81 and $261.55 during the session. Goldman’s price target implies roughly 27% upside from that close. (TipRanks)
The call comes amid Wall Street’s scramble to figure out which software stocks will translate AI capabilities into actual paying customers in 2026. The mood remains upbeat: the S&P 500 ticked up 0.2%, closing at a new high on Monday.
Goldman analyst Gabriela Borges said AI adoption should act as a “positive tailwind” for software’s total addressable market and noted that Salesforce’s key metrics are “inflecting.” The bank projects Agentforce will boost Salesforce’s “Platform and Other” revenue by roughly 4% over the next 12 to 18 months, based on its analysis and company disclosures. (Streetinsider)
Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow raised his price target to $338 from $330, maintaining an Overweight rating—indicating he expects the stock to outperform its peers. He pointed to a “favorable setup” for software in 2026, citing low valuations and steady IT spending. (TipRanks)
Barclays released a note Monday that triggered a wider reshuffle in the software sector. The firm upgraded Descartes Systems but downgraded Snowflake, DoubleVerify, and GitLab, according to Seeking Alpha.
Salesforce’s immediate challenge isn’t expanding its product lineup but convincing customers to shell out for AI and automation in the front office. That strategy puts it head-to-head with Microsoft’s business apps and emerging workflow players like ServiceNow, all facing the same pressure from buyers demanding clear ROI.
Salesforce is trading at $259.40, roughly 29% off its 52-week peak of $367.09. Its price has swung between $221.96 and $367.09 over the past year. (Investing)
The company’s most recent major update came Dec. 3 with its third-quarter results, when it raised its fiscal 2026 revenue forecast to between $41.45 billion and $41.55 billion. CEO Marc Benioff announced: “We are raising fiscal year 2026 revenue guidance,” highlighting strong momentum from Agentforce and Data 360, which have driven nearly $1.4 billion in annual recurring revenue—a key subscription-sales figure. (Salesforce Investor Relations)
Salesforce will take the stage at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday. Mark Sullivan, the company’s president of sales, is slated to speak at 2:15 p.m. Pacific time. (Salesforce Investor Relations)
The macro test arrives earlier Tuesday. The December U.S. Consumer Price Index is set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET, a report that often shakes Treasury yields and rattles high-multiple software shares.
Salesforce is making a stop in Boston on Wednesday afternoon as part of its Agentforce World Tour. The company plans to hold sessions and roll out product updates, which will be available later via on-demand streaming, it said. (Salesforce)
That bullish case hinges on smooth execution. Should customers delay adopting Agentforce or resist the pricing, the growth lift baked into the new targets might evaporate fast — and software multiples tend to shrink swiftly once the market grows wary.
Salesforce hasn’t confirmed when it’ll report earnings next. Nasdaq’s calendar shows Feb. 25 as the expected date. In the meantime, traders are focused on Tuesday’s CPI data and any Agentforce updates from conferences for fresh signals. (Nasdaq)
