Salesforce Stock Surges as Bank of America Touts AI-Driven Growth

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Salesforce shares rose more than 2.5% on Tuesday after Bank of America analysts highlighted the company as a top beneficiary of artificial intelligence (AI) advancements, particularly through its new automation platform, Agentforce. The stock outperformed both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq, marking Salesforce as a standout in the software sector.

In a note to clients, Bank of America analysts praised Salesforce as a “top buy” within the software industry, citing its potential for revenue growth and margin expansion. The analysts projected that Agentforce, Salesforce’s AI-driven automation tool, could contribute 1 to 2 percentage points of revenue growth in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Additionally, they forecasted free cash flow growth exceeding 20% annually over the next three years.

“We believe [Salesforce] stock is likely to rerate higher with reaccelerating topline growth and sustainable margin expansion,” the analysts wrote. They also noted that an improved spending environment for front-office software could further bolster Salesforce’s growth.

Agentforce, which enables companies to create AI agents capable of autonomously handling tasks across customer service, marketing, and sales departments, was unveiled at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference in September. Since its introduction, Wall Street sentiment toward Salesforce has improved, with shares climbing approximately 26% since mid-September.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced in December that the company had secured over 1,000 deals for Agentforce and planned to hire 2,000 employees to support its AI software sales. Benioff has been vocal about Salesforce’s competitive edge, particularly in contrast to Microsoft‘s Copilot, another AI-driven platform.

While Bank of America and Goldman Sachs have expressed optimism about Salesforce’s growth potential, not all analysts are convinced. Guggenheim Securities downgraded Salesforce to a sell rating on Jan. 6, citing concerns about Agentforce’s monetization and the company’s growth trajectory in the upcoming fiscal year.

Jim Cramer, host of CNBC‘s “Mad Money,” described Bank of America’s commentary as “important,” aligning with his view that Salesforce is poised for stronger revenue and profit growth this year. Cramer highlighted Salesforce’s hiring efforts as a bullish indicator of demand for Agentforce.

As the tech industry continues to embrace AI agents as the next evolution beyond chatbots, Salesforce’s aggressive push into this space positions it as a key player in the ongoing AI revolution.