New York, Jan 23, 2026, 12:09 EST — Regular session
- Salesforce shares gained roughly 0.7% in midday trading
- Company unveils new MuleSoft tools aimed at detecting and managing the surge in AI “agents”
- Investors are focused on AI monetization cues as the next earnings report approaches
Salesforce shares climbed on Friday, reaching $229.70 around midday in New York. The stock fluctuated between $227.00 and $230.77, with roughly 3.6 million shares changing hands.
On Thursday, Salesforce introduced new “Agent Scanners” for its MuleSoft Agent Fabric, designed to automatically detect and catalog AI agents—software capable of taking actions—as businesses grapple with what the company terms agent sprawl and “shadow AI.” These scanners cover agents built on MuleSoft’s Agentforce platform as well as solutions from Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, and Microsoft’s Copilot Studio. Brad Ringer, an enterprise and integration architect at AT&T, said, “MuleSoft is a massive accelerator for our long-term AI roadmap. With AI moving so fast, MuleSoft Agent Fabric provides the framework we need to scale.” Meanwhile, Andrew Comstock, MuleSoft’s SVP and GM, emphasized that “the most successful organizations of the next decade” will need to master a multicloud AI environment. Salesforce
Outside analysts saw the feature less as a flashy upgrade and more as essential infrastructure for CIOs wrestling with fast-moving deployments. “For CIOs and security leaders, the biggest issue today isn’t deploying agents, it’s understanding what’s already running,” said Robert Kramer, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. Stephanie Walter, head of HyperFRAME Research, cautioned that “without an automated scanner, an enterprise’s Agent Registry becomes a stale spreadsheet.” InfoWorld
CRM’s jump came amid a tug-of-war between tech optimism and rate jitters. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were ticking up late morning, but Intel plunged roughly 16% after forecasting quarterly revenue and profit below expectations. “Some of these AI stocks have been inflated dramatically and they’re going to need to start showing more than just hope, some real plans there,” said Joe Saluzzi, partner and co-founder at Themis Trading. Reuters
Salesforce extended its rally on Friday after climbing 2.94% to $228.09 on Thursday, according to MarketWatch data. That gain outstripped Microsoft’s 0.99% rise and mirrored moves in other big software players like Oracle and ServiceNow.
Salesforce’s latest quarterly update in December showed current remaining performance obligations (cRPO) — the contracted business expected to convert into revenue within 12 months — at $29.4 billion, an 11% rise from the previous year. The company boosted its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue outlook to between $41.45 billion and $41.55 billion. It also revealed that Agentforce and Data 360 annual recurring revenue hit nearly $1.4 billion.
Product updates don’t always lead to immediate sales boosts. Investors will be watching closely to see if these new tools drive fresh bookings or just help clients handle tasks they already have. Competition remains fierce, with Microsoft and others vying for the same IT budgets with their own agent platforms.
Here’s where things get more tangible. Investors will be zeroing in on enterprise tech budgets and the speed of AI deployments as earnings season ramps up. Salesforce is due to report next on Feb. 25, after the market closes, per Yahoo Finance’s earnings calendar.
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