DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Amazon, Tesla, Goldman Sachs, Meta, Salesforce, Boeing, Spotify & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JPMorgan initiates Light & Wonder as outperform JPMorgan initiated the Australian gambling company with an overweight and said it has earnings momentum. Evercore ISI reiterates Meta as outperform Evercore said it's bullish on Meta heading into earnings later this week. " Evercore ISI reiterates Amazon as outperform Evercore said it's bullish heading into Amazon earnings later this week. We are upgrading Bank of America (BAC) to OW from EW, upgrading Citigroup (C) to OW from UW, upgrading Goldman Sachs (GS) to OW from EW, and upgrading BNY Mellon (BK) to EW from UW. Bank of America reiterates Uber as buy Bank of America raised its price target on the stock to $73 per share from $68.

Persons: Oppenheimer, Raymond James, CrowdStrike, Mizuho, Evercore, it's, Morgan Stanley, Instacart, Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Raymond James downgrades, McDonald's, Wells, Baird, Tesla, TSLA, BTIG, Jefferies, Masimo, MASI, Uber Organizations: Accenture, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citi, Citigroup, BNY Mellon, BK, UW, Trust, AMD, Salesforce Inc, UBS, Spotify, sss, Western Alliance, WAL, Boeing, Olema Oncology, Breast Cancer, " Bank of America, Netflix, Seaport Locations: OW, UW, Wells Fargo

A Salesforce sign is seen during the company's annual Dreamforce event, in San Francisco, California November 18, 2013. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Salesforce Inc's (CRM.N) stock jumped by about 10% on Thursday to a nearly two-year high after the U.S. cloud and business software company reported stellar third quarter results underpinned by strong demand for its services. Salesforce's revenue of $8.72 billion and adjusted profit of $2.11 per share beat Wall Street expectations, the company reported after the closing bell on Wednesday. Reuters GraphicsMultiple analysts, including from Morgan Stanley, Evercore, Wells Fargo, and Deutsche Bank, raised their price target for Salesforce's shares following the results. Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Lance Tupper and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Galbraith, Morgan Stanley, Brad Sills, Chibuike Oguh, Lance Tupper, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Deutsche Bank, Global Research, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, Evercore, Wells Fargo, Salesforce, New York

☆ Cramer’s Stop Trading: Salesforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCramer’s Stop Trading: SalesforceCNBC’s Jim Cramer explains why he is keeping an eye on shares of Salesforce Inc.

Persons: Jim Cramer Organizations: Salesforce Inc

☆ Salesforce's strong stock price wooed some investors during third quarter-filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The two hedge funds had each cut their investments in Salesforce during the second quarter. Still Starboard Value the first activist to speak publicly in October 2022 about needed changes at Salesforce cut its stake again, the filings show. On Sept. 30, the hedge fund owned 1.7 million shares, marking a 14% drop from what it owned at the end of the second quarter. Light Street Capital Management cut its stake by 44%, while Polen Capital Management trimmed it by 3.2%, the filings show. While Salesforce's stock price lost some ground during the third quarter, it has continued to move higher and closed trading at $221.18 on Tuesday.

Persons: Porte, Benoit Tessier, Salesforce, Mason Morfit, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Capital Management, Farallon Capital Management, Elliott Investment Management, ValueAct, Investment, Securities and Exchange, Street Capital Management, Polen Capital Management, Svea, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Salesforce, Polen

☆ Salesforce CEO says he's 'always been a remote worker,' even though some of his employees have to return to the office
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce's CEO opened up about remote work, saying that he doesn't "work well in an office." His comments come after Salesforce mandated some of its workers to return to the office. I've always been a remote worker my whole life," Benioff told MSNBC last week during Salesforce's annual Dreamforce conference. AdvertisementAdvertisementLike many companies, Salesforce embraced remote work during the pandemic. In June, Salesforce incentivized workers to return to the office by offering a $10 charity donation for each day an employee worked in person.

Persons: Marc Benioff, I've, Benioff, Brent Hyder, Salesforce's, Salesforce, Kara Swisher, Andy Jassy, Meta, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Companies, Service, MSNBC Locations: Wall, Silicon

Companies Microsoft Corp FollowSalesforce Inc FollowBRUSSELS, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) will unbundle its chat and video app Teams from its Office product and make it easier for rival products to work with its software, the U.S. company said on Thursday in a move aimed at staving off a possible EU antitrust fine. The proposed changes came after a month after the European Commission launched an investigation into Microsoft's tying of Office and Teams following a complaint by Salesforce-owned (CRM.N) workspace messaging app Slack in 2020. Microsoft's preliminary concessions failed to address concerns. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Foo Yun Chee, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Microsoft, U.S ., European Commission, Salesforce, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Salesforce rallies as profitability push pays off
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company logo for Salesforce.com is displayed on the Salesforce Tower in New York City, U.S., March 7, 2019. Salesforce raised its annual forecast for adjusted operating margin on Wednesday to about 30% from 28%, with CFO Amy Weaver stressing the new figure "is a floor, not a ceiling". Wall Street analysts lauded the move, noting the benefits from an aggressive profitability push at a company that has traditionally focused on growing bigger through acquisitions. While the 11% rise in second-quarter revenue was much slower than historic growth rates of around 20% to 30%, the figure breezed past Wall Street expectations, and Salesforce also raised its annual revenue forecast. Salesforce trades at 25 times its forward 12 months earnings estimates, compared with the industry median of 15.14.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Salesforce, Amy Weaver, Marc Benioff, Raymond James said, Raymond James, Aditya Soni, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: REUTERS, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Activists back off Salesforce after share price recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The changes in ownership came after significant overhauls at Salesforce helped push its share price higher. Inclusive Capital Management, one of four activists closely involved with Salesforce in early 2023 along with Starboard, Elliott Investment Management and ValueAct Capital, exited even earlier, according to filings. ValueAct's ownership stake remained unchanged at 3.5 million at the end of the second quarter, its filing shows. Sachem Head Capital Management cut its stake by 20% after Salesforce made up nearly 5% of its portfolio. During the second quarter the stock price moved to $211 a share from $199 a share.

Persons: Mike Segar, Salesforce, Marc Benioff, Mason Morfit, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Salesforce, U.S ., LLC, Inclusive Capital Management, Elliott Investment Management, ValueAct, Inclusive, Sachem, Capital Management, Farallon Capital Management, Light, Capital, Svea, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Salesforce, Polen

June 6 (Reuters) - Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) CEO Marc Benioff has shuffled the top management, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, a move that follows after the software company reported its slowest quarterly revenue growth since 2010. Miguel Milano has been appointed as the chief revenue officer, the source said, adding that Ariel Kelman will take over as Salesforce's chief marketing officer. After a previous tenure of nearly a decade at Salesforce, Milano will make a return from his recent position at software company Celonis. Kendall Collins, who will step into the role of chief of staff for Benioff, had worked as CMO at Okta and Cisco's AppDynamics. Salesforce President and Chief Operating Officer Brian Millham would be assuming new duties such as marketing, employee success and business technology, the source said.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Miguel Milano, Ariel Kelman, Milano, Celonis, Kelman, Kendall Collins, Brian Millham, Salesforce, Benioff, Kanjyik Ghosh, Akriti Sharma, Anirudh, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: Salesforce, Reuters, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, Inclusive, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Thomson Locations: Salesforce, Okta, Bengaluru

☆ Salesforce CEO shakes up top ranks, hints at succession plan - Insider
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Miguel Milano, who moved back from Celonis, has been appointed Salesforce's chief revenue officer, according to the Insider report, which added that Ariel Kelman, previously the chief marketing officer at Amazon Web Services (AMZN.O) and Oracle (ORCL.N), has been named the new CMO. President and Chief Operating Officer Brian Millham will be taking on a host of new responsibilities, including marketing, employee success and business technology, the memo said. Salesforce did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company last month posted an 11% rise in its quarterly revenue, the slowest pace of growth in 13 years. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marc Benioff, Miguel Milano, Ariel Kelman, Brian Millham, Salesforce, Kanjyik Ghosh, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: Salesforce, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, Inclusive, Thomson Locations: Celonis, Bengaluru

Focus now shifts to the Labor Department's closely watched unemployment report for May, due on Friday. The data will help determine whether the Fed sticks with its aggressive rate hikes. "The market became confident that, 'wow the Fed rate hike for June is pretty much not happening' and confidence is falling for raising rates for July," he said. C3.ai Inc (AI.N) slumped after the artificial intelligence company forecast an annual revenue outlook below analysts' estimates. Dollar General Corp (DG.N) plunged as retail companies cut their full-year sales forecasts as high inflation dimmed the U.S. consumer outlook.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Edward Moya, I'm, Jimmy Chang, Chang, Jason Pride, We've, Herbert Lash, Shreyashi Sanyal, Shristi, Shounak Dasgupta, Maju Samuel, Deepa Babington Organizations: Labor, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, ADP, Labor Department, Unit, Futures, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Senate, Rockefeller Global, Nvidia Corp, Glenmede, Dow, Salesforce Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Meta, Inc, General Corp, Thomson Locations: New York, Philadelphia, Bengaluru

The bill to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling headed to the Senate, which must enact the measure before a Monday deadline, when the government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills. With signs of progress in the debt ceiling saga, focus will now shift to the Labor Department's closely watched jobs report for May, due on Friday, that will help determine whether the Federal Reserve will stick with its aggressive interest rate-hiking cycle. The odds favoring a pause in rate hikes at the Fed's June 13-14 policy meeting were around 71% after the day's datasets. FEDWATCH"We're at the potential beginning of a soft landing," said David Russell, vice president of Market Intelligence at TradeStation. "When you look at the debt ceiling apparently being resolved, we could be in a situation where we wake up from the nightmare of inflation and the risk of a default to the soft landing."

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Chuck Schumer, Philip Jefferson, David Russell, Shreyashi Sanyal, Shristi, Shounak Dasgupta, Maju Samuel Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, ADP, Senate, Democratic, Labor, Federal, Fed, Market Intelligence, Dow Jones, Salesforce Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Meta, Inc, Macy's Inc, Dollar General Corp, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

"The bill now moves to the Senate, where we believe it will clear the 60-vote hurdle after some political and procedural posturing," analysts at BTIG said. ET, Dow e-minis were up 13 points, or 0.04%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 10 points, or 0.24%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 22.5 points, or 0.16%. The S&P Global manufacturing PMI and the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing PMI for May will also be on the watch list. C3.ai Inc (AI.N) slumped 22.8% after the artificial intelligence company forecast annual revenue outlook below street estimates. Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal and Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: BTIG, Philip Jefferson, Patrick Harker, Shreyashi Sanyal, Shristi, Shounak Dasgupta, Maju Samuel Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Republicans, Senate, Dow e, U.S . Federal Reserve, Labor, P Global, PMI, Institute for Supply, Fed Governor, Philadelphia Fed, Dow Jones, Nordstrom, Macy's Inc, Dollar General Corp, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Salesforce shares drop on slowest revenue growth in more than 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) fell 5% on Thursday after reporting quarterly revenue that increased at its slowest pace since 2010, with companies cutting back spending on cloud-based software offerings. The enterprise software maker was set to shed nearly $12 billion in market value, based on its premarket share price of $211.39. Salesforce on Wednesday posted its smallest rise in quarterly revenue in 13 years and predicted a further slowdown ahead, blaming an uncertain U.S. economy and weaker demand from financial services and tech companies. Belt-tightening measures by businesses dealing with elevated levels of inflation and high interest rates have impacted tech spending this year, hitting growth at major cloud services players such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O). Salesforce posted a net income of $199 million, compared with $28 million a year earlier, with operating margin rising to 5.0% from 0.3%.

Persons: Bernstein, Salesforce, D.A, Davidson, Samrhitha, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Salesforce, Amazon.com Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

June 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday gave Salesforce Inc's (CRM.N) Slack Technologies another chance to avoid a lawsuit over the workplace communications software company's 2019 direct listing. A direct listing is an alternative to a traditional initial public offering. The registration statement was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That differs from an IPO, under which newly registered shares are offered to the public while existing shareholders are typically barred from selling their unregistered shares for months. Slack's direct listing released 118 million shares that were registered under its registration statement and 165 million pre-existing shares that were exempt from registration.

Persons: Salesforce Inc's, Fiyyaz Pirani, Pirani, Slack, Neil Gorsuch, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Slack Technologies, San, Circuit, Securities, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, falsities, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, New York

☆ Salesforce forecasts current-quarter revenue above estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 31 (Reuters) - Business software maker Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) forecast second-quarter revenue above market estimates on Wednesday, as demand for its cloud-based offerings stays strong in the face of a turbulent economy. The company expects revenue of between $8.51 billion and $8.53 billion for the quarter, compared with analysts' estimates of $8.49 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Revenue was $8.25 billion for the quarter ended April 30, compared with the expectations of $8.18 billion. Shares of the San Francisco, California-based company fell nearly 5% in trading after the bell, after rising as much as 3% in regular trading. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tiyashi Datta, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Salesforce Inc, Revenue, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, Bengaluru

☆ ServiceNow targets enterprise-software startups with $1 bln investment in venture arm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 17 (Reuters) - Cloud-computing firm ServiceNow Inc (NOW.N) said on Wednesday it would invest $1 billion in its venture arm by 2026 to back enterprise software-focused startups in artificial intelligence and automation, among others. The investment in ServiceNow Ventures comes at a time when funding for early-stage technology companies has dried up due to rising interest rates and high inflation. Since its inception in 2015, the venture arm has invested about $300 million across 45 companies. "Enterprise software is more mission-critical than ever before, as companies look to drive innovation, efficiency and productivity," the California-based company said. Last month, ServiceNow became a strategic partner and anchor investor in Smith Point Capital Fund I, an enterprise software-focused venture investment firm founded by former Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) co-CEO Keith Block.

☆ Factbox: Tech firms, Wall Street lead job cuts in Corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

read moreSpotify Technology SA (SPOT.N):Music streaming service Spotify is cutting 6% of its workforce, or roughly 600 roles. read moreMicrosoft Corp (MSFT.O):The U.S. tech giant said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023. Workday Inc (WDAY.O):The software company will cut roughly 500 jobs, or 3% of its workforce, citing a challenging macroeconomic environment. Morgan Stanley (MS.N):The Wall Street powerhouse is planning to cut about 3,000 jobs in the second quarter, Reuters reported. MANUFACTURING SECTOR3M Co (MMM.N):The industrial conglomerate said it would cut 2,500 manufacturing jobs after reporting a lower profit.

☆ Freshworks tops revenue estimates as lower-priced offerings boost demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Freshworks Inc (FRSH.O) beat quarterly revenue estimates on Tuesday and posted its first adjusted operating profit as more businesses sought its lower-priced customer engagement software in a tough economy. Freshworks, whose products compete with Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) and Zendesk, told Reuters that the downturn was driving more companies to its more affordable offerings. The San Mateo, California-based company's revenue rose 20% in the first quarter ended March to $137.7 million, compared with analysts' estimates of $134.3 million, according to Refinitiv. It posted an adjusted operating profit of $3.9 million. The company forecast second-quarter revenue largely in line with estimates, while its forecast for adjusted profit was above estimates.

☆ More Activists Lay Down Arms in Battles for Boardroom Control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nelson Peltz previously launched a proxy fight for a seat on Disney’s board but later backed down. Photo: Marco Bello/Bloomberg NewsSo far in the 2023 proxy season, shareholder activists have shown more bark than bite. At companies including Walt Disney Co., Salesforce Inc. and Bath & Body Works Inc., big-name activists have prepared to battle for board seats, only to quickly agree to truces.

☆ Stock-Based Pay and Bonuses Fall Under Finance Chiefs’ Cost-Cutting Knife
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Mark Maurer | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Videogame company Unity Software is looking at reducing the number of shares it grants as part of compensation but hasn’t made any decisions yet. Some finance executives are tweaking compensation expenses—including stock-based pay and bonus eligibility—in the latest move among U.S. companies to cut costs from increasingly lean operations as recession concerns grow. Videogame company Unity Software Inc. and business-software firm Salesforce Inc. are among businesses weighing or moving ahead with bringing down stock-based compensation, while companies such as DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse parent Designer Brands Inc. and Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. are planning adjustments to worker bonuses. Firms like Google are making other trims to the employee experience by eliminating popular perks like snack bars and choosing software and equipment vendors based on cost.

☆ Salesforce Shakes Off Proxy Fight From Elliott
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Salesforce managed to ease some activists’ concerns earlier this month when it posted strong earnings. Elliott Management Corp. no longer plans to nominate directors to the board of Salesforce Inc., avoiding a proxy fight at the company’s coming shareholder meeting, the two sides said Monday. Elliott decided to back down following the business-software provider’s better-than-expected financial results, as well as other changes initiated at the company in recent weeks, including cost cutting, boosting share buybacks and disbanding a mergers-and-acquisition committee, according to the two companies.

☆ Salesforce says Elliott will not nominate directors to board
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 27 (Reuters) - Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) said on Monday activist investor Elliott Management Corp has decided to not proceed with director nominations to the board of the cloud-based software provider, due to its strong earnings and 2024 transformation initiatives. "Salesforce and Elliott have committed to continue the productive working relationship they have developed together," a joint statement from the companies said. Earlier this month, Reuters reported Elliott nominated a slate of directors to Salesforce's board. Elliott unveiled its multi-billion dollar stake in Salesforce January. Other hedge funds with stakes include Jeff Ubben's Inclusive Capital Partners, Jeff Smith's Starboard Value, ValueAct Capital and Third Point.

☆ Amazon to cut 9,000 jobs in second round of layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, November 15, 2022. Whereas prior cuts had focused on the company's e-commerce and devices business as well as human-resources staff, now the company would eliminate roles from Amazon Web Services, its advertising and Twitch streaming units. Amazon follows Facebook-parent Meta in becoming the second bellwether to announce a second round of cuts. Amazon has scaled back or shut down entire services like its virtual primary care offering for employers. Facebook-parent Meta Platforms said it would cut 10,000 jobs this year, following the first mass layoff in the fall, which eliminated more than 11,000 jobs.

☆ Explainer: What is Generative AI, the technology behind OpenAI's ChatGPT?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI? Like other forms of artificial intelligence, generative AI learns how to take actions from past data. The most famous generative AI application is ChatGPT, a chatbot that Microsoft-backed OpenAI released late last year. Generative AI likewise can take notes during a virtual meeting. Cybersecurity researchers have also expressed concern that generative AI could allow bad actors, even governments, to produce far more disinformation than before.

Search resuls for: "Salesforce Inc"

25 mentions found