Particle.news

Salesforce’s Push to Monetize AI Agents Stokes Split Among Analysts

Analyst downgrades over weak Agentforce traction have renewed share volatility despite Salesforce advancing a $3.6 billion purchase of Fin and reporting solid revenue growth.

Overview

  • Salesforce reported 13% revenue growth to $11.13 billion for fiscal Q1 2027 and non‑GAAP EPS of $3.88, results management says show continued momentum.
  • On June 15 Salesforce agreed to buy customer‑agent company Fin for about $3.6 billion to speed delivery of packaged AI support agents across its CRM offerings.
  • KeyBanc and Bernstein cut ratings this week, saying Agentforce lacks customer traction and that customers’ data often is not organized enough to support high‑value AI automation.
  • A Bernstein CIO survey found more CIOs expect to deprioritize Salesforce in IT budgets over the next 12 months than plan to increase spending, a signal analysts cite as a concrete demand risk.
  • Despite recent downgrades and renewed stock swings, most sell‑side analysts remain bullish with roughly 73% of about 55 covering the stock rating it a Buy, leaving Salesforce’s AI strategy as the near‑term test of whether adoption will create new revenue or simply replace existing seats.