Salesforce rises as BofA upgrades stock on enterprise AI outlook

Salesforce (CRM) shares were up more than 3% before the bell on Monday after Bank of America upgraded it to Buy from Underperform, saying large companies are unlikely to replace software platforms that manage their data, business processes, and compliance as they adopt AI.

According to BofA, AI could increase companies' reliance on existing software platforms rather than replace them.

CRM's price target was bumped to $285 from $160. The $285 price target values stock at 16 times its expected free cash flow for 2027, up from 9 times previously and above the peer average of 15 times.

"Salesforce [is positioned] to participate across the entire AI value chain, reduces the risk of disintermediation by foundation models, and creates a pathway to increased platform usage, premium upgrades, and long-term revenue acceleration," said analyst Tal Liani.

The brokerage also cited signs of improving business momentum, including growth in new annualized order value and stronger performance at Slack.

It expects subscription and support revenue growth to reach 10.4% in fiscal 2028 and 10.5% in fiscal 2029, up from previous estimates of 9.9% and 10.2%, respectively.

BofA said slower-than-expected AI adoption remained a near-term risk, as AI-related revenue at Salesforce was still small.