Salesforce Raises Full Year Revenue Guidance, Announces Plans to Acquire Informatica

Image: Salesforce’s shares have been choppy the past few years. By Brian Nelson, CFA Salesforce (CRM) recently reported better than expected first quarter fiscal 2026 results with revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share exceeding the respective consensus forecasts. First quarter revenue was $9.8 billion, up 8% year-over-year, with current remaining performance obligations advancing 12% year-over-year (11% in constant currency), to $29.6 billion. First quarter GAAP operating margin was 19.8%, while non-GAAP operating margin came in at 32.3%. Non-GAAP diluted net income per share was $2.58 versus $2.44 in the same period last year. Management had the following to say about the quarter: We delivered strong Q1 results and are raising our guidance by $400 million to $41.3 billion at the … Read more

There Will Be Volatility

By Brian Nelson, CFA Last year, 2022, was a big test for equity investors, and the downside volatility that we witnessed during the year wasn’t comfortable, to say the least. Following the COVID-19 crash and rebound during 2020, and then the market surge in 2021, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say many investors’ heads are probably still spinning from all the volatility witnessed to start this decade. That said, part of what we’ve been warning about the past few years with respect to the equity market, especially in Value Trap, is that the proliferation of price-agnostic trading (e.g. quant, machine/algorithmic trading, etc.) will only lead to more and more market volatility, so while we were somewhat surprised by last … Read more

Valuentum Economic Castleâ„¢ Rating Update

Read: Keeping the Horse Before the Cart: Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ Rating The Economic Castle Focuses on the Magnitude of Economic Value Creation The Valuentum Economic Castle™ rating is an enhancement of the competitive advantage framework (commonly known as economic moat analysis) that has become widespread and ubiquitous within the investing world. Whereas an economic moat framework evaluates a firm on the basis of the sustainability and durability of its competitive advantages, Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ rating evaluates a firm on the basis of the firm’s future economic profit spread (return on invested capital less its weighted average cost of capital). The companies with the strongest Valuentum Economic Castle™ ratings are poised to generate the most economic value for shareholders in the … Read more