NEW YORK, Feb 14, 2026, 19:01 (EST) — Market has closed.
- Salesforce closed at $189.72, up 2.3% on the day.
- U.S. inflation eased, giving rate-cut hopes a lift; even so, software stocks remain under pressure from persistent AI disruption worries.
- Next up: Salesforce’s results and outlook on Feb. 25, as traders try to pin down what AI “agents” actually bring in, dollar-wise.
Salesforce Inc shares closed up Friday, sidestepping a turbulent session ahead of the long U.S. holiday weekend. Traders staked positions in advance of the company’s late-February earnings and any hints on enterprise AI budgets.
Why now? U.S. markets close Monday for Washington’s Birthday, so trading resumes Tuesday amid lighter liquidity. That’s landing as big tech and software stocks struggle to stabilize following a tough run.
Stocks got a lift from January inflation numbers coming in below forecasts, pushing up the odds of a rate cut in June. But major tech names dragged on the indexes again late in the session. “Large cap tech stocks continue to be an anchor on the market and any whiff of optimism continues to get rejected,” said Michael James, managing director at Rosenblatt Securities. Reuters
Salesforce has little breathing room on its schedule. Fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 numbers land Feb. 25, after the bell. The conference call kicks off at 5 p.m. ET.
Traders are tuning in for any shifts in demand signals and tracking just how quickly the latest AI “agents”—these bits of software that act for users—are turning from flashy demos into actual paid work. Another thing drawing attention: remaining performance obligation growth, that backlog-type figure that often hints at what’s coming for subscription revenue.
Salesforce began launching its Spring ’26 product release on Feb. 23, a move that could influence what executives say about sales cycles and customer uptake in the coming weeks.
This month, the company moved to acquire Cimulate, touting the deal as a boost for its product discovery and “agentic commerce” offerings aimed at retailers. “The future of commerce is agentic,” said Nitin Mangtani, Salesforce’s SVP and general manager for commerce and retail, in the statement. Salesforce
Salesforce drew attention again over job cuts. This week, Reuters said the company eliminated under 1,000 positions earlier in February, referencing a Business Insider piece. The company didn’t reply to questions from Reuters.
The bear case hasn’t changed: software faces a tug-of-war between AI’s rapid pace and firms’ ability to squeeze profit from their own AI products before legacy offerings get disrupted. “I would classify this as a sell-everything mindset at this point,” said Dave Harrison Smith, chief investment officer and head of technology investing at Bailard, quoted in a Reuters report covering the sector’s AI-fueled rout. Reuters
ServiceNow and Microsoft haven’t escaped this debate either, with shares zigzagging on any suggestion of AI-powered disruption or fresh signals that tech budgets might stick around.
Salesforce heads into the holiday-shortened week looking at Tuesday’s market reopen for the immediate move, but all eyes turn to Feb. 25. That’s when investors get the crucial update on guidance, margins, and how quickly AI is turning into revenue — numbers that could drive the stock through March.
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