Marc Benioff, co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 18, 2023.
Stefan Wermuth | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Salesforce shares soared 13% in extended trading on Wednesday after the cloud software maker beat Wall Street estimates on profit and issued a better-than-expected forecast.
Here’s how the company did:
- Earnings: $1.68 per share, adjusted, vs. $1.36 per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
- Revenue: $8.38 billion, vs. $7.99 billion as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
Salesforce’s revenue grew 14% year over year in the quarter, which ended on Jan. 31, according to a statement. The company reported a loss of $98 million, compared with a loss of $28 million in the year-ago quarter.
Profitability has become a higher priority at Salesforce, which in recent months has been getting pressured by an influx of activist investors, including Third Point, Elliott Management and Starboard Value. The company announced the addition of ValueAct Capital CEO Mason Morfit to its board.
In January Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s co-founder and CEO, said the company would cut 10% of its workforce, representing over 7,000 people. At the end of the quarter Bret Taylor, who ran Salesforce as co-CEO alongside Benioff, stepped down.
For the fiscal first quarter, the company called for adjusted earnings in the range of $1.60 to $1.61 per share and revenue of $8.16 billion to $8.18 billion. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had been looking for $1.32 in adjusted earnings per share and $8.05 billion in revenue.
Salesforce sees adjusted earnings per share for the full year of $7.12 to $7.14 and revenue of $34.5 billion to $34.7 billion. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected $5.84 in adjusted earnings per share and $34.03 billion in revenue.
Salesforce shares have risen 26% so far this year, excluding Wednesday’s after-hours move, outperforming the S&P 500 index, which has gained 3% over the same period.
Executives will discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 5 p.m. ET.
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