Salesforce Q3 Earnings Preview: Focus On Operating Costs, Profit Margins, Slack's Leadership And Einstein GPT Integration

Salesforce Inc CRM, will be reporting its third-quarter earnings on Nov. 29. Analysts expect Salesforce to report $2.06 in EPS and $8.72 billion in revenue, as the company reports after market hours.

Here's what analysts will be focusing on, and how the stock currently maps against Wall Street estimates.

Business & Fundamentals

Salesforce seems poised for another strong quarter based on historical performance and strategic initiatives. Slack, Salesforce’s strategic response to Microsoft Corp’s MSFT Teams, faces leadership changes. The company’s Einstein GPT integration adds an intriguing dimension to the company’s future.

Key factors to monitor includes the decrease in operating expenses. In its efforts to manage costs, Salesforce has been reducing its workforce, which resulted in a recorded drop in operating expenses in Q2. The company’s goal to be among “the most profitable enterprise software company” globally also commands a closer look into profitability metrics.

The company already sports an above average gross profit margin of 74.52% versus the sector median of 48.67%. Net income margin stands at 4.77% versus the sector at 1.77%.

Also Read: Internet Reacts To Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s OpenAI Talent Recruitment Drive: ‘Living In A Real Life Episode Of Silicon Valley’

Ratings & Consensus Estimates

Currently, the consensus rating for Salesforce stock is a Buy, with a consensus price target set at $248.55 per share.

Q3 Analysts' Focus: Oppenheimer analyst Brian Schwartz sees Salesforce as “one of the healthiest long-term profitable growth stories.” Schwartz has a 12-month price target of $250 on the stock. He believes Salesforce is still early in the monetization evolution for its generative AI technologies.

Needham analyst Scott Berg also has a price target of $250 on the stock. Needham expects upside to both cRPO and operating margins expectations. They believe S&M leverage is underappreciated.

Morgan Stanley Research analyst Keith Weiss anticipates stable checks and successful implementation of price increases for Salesforce in this quarter. Weiss has set a price target of $278 for the stock.

Price Action: Salesforce shares were up 2.1% to $229.83 at the time of publication Wednesday.

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