Salesforce Option Alert: Jun 20 $280 Puts Sweep (48) near the Bid: 427 vs 3953 OI; Earnings 5/28 After Close 

Salesforce Option Alert: Jun 20 $280 Puts Sweep (48) near the Bid: 427 @ $14.754 vs 3953 OI; Earnings 5/28 After Close Ref=$280.26

Salesforce Option Alert: Nov 21 $280 Puts Sweep (3) near the midpoint: 241 vs 50 OI; Earnings 5/28 After Close [est] 

Salesforce Option Alert: Nov 21 $280 Puts Sweep (3) near the midpoint: 241 @ $28.717 vs 50 OI; Earnings 5/28 After Close [est] Ref=$275.735

Salesforce Option Alert: Jan 16 $270 Puts at the Ask: 450 vs 1364 OI; Earnings 5/28 After Close [est] 

Salesforce Option Alert: Jan 16 $270 Puts at the Ask: 450 @ $28.2 vs 1364 OI; Earnings 5/28 After Close [est] Ref=$273.73

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) 주식

SALESFORCE INC

Salesforce

Salesforce provides enterprise cloud computing solutions. The company offers customer relationship management technology that brings companies and customers together. Its Customer 360 platform helps the group to deliver a single source of truth, connecting customer data across systems, apps, and devices to help companies sell, service, market, and conduct commerce. It also offers Service Cloud for customer support, Marketing Cloud for digital marketing campaigns, Commerce Cloud as an e-commerce engine, the Salesforce Platform, which allows enterprises to build applications, and other solutions, such as MuleSoft for data integration.

Salesforce.com

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도널드 트럼프 대통령은 화요일(13일) 사우디아라비아의 대미 6,000억 달러 투자 약속을 발표했다. 트럼프는 이를 미국-중동 경제 협력의 &#39;황금기&#39;라고 부르며 기술, 방위, 인프라 분야의 주요 미국 기업들과 수십억 달러 규모의 거래를 잇달아 열거했다.

트럼프, 사우디로부터 6천억 달러 투자 유치···&#34;시장 더 오를 것&#34; 예측

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월요일(12일)앱러빈(NASDAQ:APP), 세일즈포스(NYSE:CRM), 데이터독(NASDAQ:DDOG), 아틀라시안(NASDAQ:TEAM) 주가는 미국과 중국이 각국의 물품에 대한 대부분의 관세를 일시적으로 인하하기로 합의한 후 상승했다. 알아야 할 내용: 워싱턴포스트에 따르면 이번 무역 합의를 통해 중국 제품에 대한 미국의 관세를 145%에서 30%로, 미국 수입품에 대한 중국의 관세를 125%에서 10%로 3개월 동안 낮출 것이다. 

앱러빈·세일즈포스 등 대중 관세 완화로 소프트웨어 주식 급등

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전 팔란티어 테크놀로지스(NASDAQ:PLTR) 직원이 팔란티어의 제품, 가격, 향후 몇 년 동안의 전망, 특히 국방 및 AI 분야에 대한 간략한 입문서를 제공한다.무슨 일 있었나: 월요일(28일) 애널리스트와 연구원이 업계 전문가와 연결될 수 있도록 지원하는 시장 정보 플랫폼인 알파센스(AlphaSense)는 한 애널리스트와 전 팔란티어 직원 간의 대화 내용을 공유했다.

요새와 같은 팔란티어, 가격 책정 어려움과 경쟁 속에서 AI 방어선 구축한 방법은?

Salesforce Inc

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UBS analyst Karl Keirstead maintains Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) with a Neutral and lowers the price target from $340 to $320.

Price Target

Analyst Ratings

UBS Maintains Neutral on Salesforce, Lowers Price Target to $320

Decagon, a two-year-old AI startup helping companies cut customer support costs, is in talks to raise $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, according to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rashishrivastava/2025/05/02/ai-startup-decagon-in-talks-to-raise-100-million-at-a-15-billion-valuation/">Forbes</a>, which cites multiple sources familiar with the deal.
Founded in 2023 by Jesse Zhang and Ashwin Sreenivas, Decagon builds customer support agents powered by artificial intelligence. These agents can <a href="https://in.benzinga.com/tech/25/03/44251055/cutting-costs-without-cutting-corners-via-ai-and-automation">handle common service tasks</a> like issuing refunds, canceling subscriptions and answering product questions. Companies including Notion, Duolingo (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DUOL#NASDAQ">DUOL</a>), Bilt, Substack and Rippling already use the software.
&#8220;We think AI agents can be 10x employees,&#8221; Zhang told Forbes.
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</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Winning Bake-Offs, Cutting Costs</h2>
Decagon's rise has been driven by its performance in what insiders call "bake-offs," where companies test AI tools head-to-head. &#8220;Decagon claims they win almost every time they go up against Sierra head to head,&#8221; one investor involved in the talks told Forbes. Sierra is a newer rival that is <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/02/37147866/openais-chair-bret-taylor-dismisses-concerns-about-his-ai-chatbot-startup-competing-with-chatgpt-par">led by former Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) co-CEO Bret Taylor</a>.
Startups are turning to these agents to handle tedious tasks that would otherwise require large outsourced teams. Forbes reported that Bilt, for example, reduced its customer support team from hundreds of contractors to just 65 after adopting Decagon. Another unnamed client reportedly cut 80% of its support staff. ClassPass, which uses Decagon to manage more than 2.5 million customer conversations, slashed its cost per reservation by 95%, according to <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/classpass-got-support-bot-par-humans">The Information</a>.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">$200 Million in Total Funding</h2>
The potential new funding round is being led by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel, with participation from existing backers. It would bring Decagon's total funding to $200 million, following a $65 million Series B round announced in October that valued the company at $650 million.
Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/boxabl-scaling-fast-from-spacex-orders-to-600-homes-built-this-60k-foldable-home-may-be-the-future-of-housing">this is your last chance to become an investor for $0.80 per share.</a>
The company's AI agents run on top of large language models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Cohere, and are fine-tuned using company-specific data like user manuals, how-to guides and historical customer service chats. A proprietary system helps companies keep this training data fresh and relevant.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Control, Transparency, and Voice</h2>
A key selling point, according to investors, is that Decagon gives businesses clear control over how its AI responds to customers.
&#8220;You as a customer can actually see what&#8217;s happening, understand it, and change things,&#8221; investor Elad Gil told Forbes. &#8220;You have control so that it really does the things that you want it to do.&#8221;
Decagon has also started partnering with ElevenLabs to build voice-enabled agents that sound more human, pushing beyond typed chat interactions.
See Also: The team behind $6B+ in licensing deals is now building the next billion-dollar IP empire — <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/elf-labs-ym?v=123">invest early at $2.25/share.</a>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Salesforce Enters the Arena</h2>
While Decagon has earned praise for its performance and transparency, it faces stiff competition. Salesforce recently <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44146057/salesforce-unveils-agentforce-2dx-ai-agents-that-work-beyond-chatbots">launched Agentforce 2dx</a>, a major update to its AI platform that allows agents to work behind the scenes, not just in chat windows. The update includes low-code and pro-code tools for building agents, real-time monitoring, and a developer edition for testing.
&#8220;We're making it easier than ever for businesses to embed agentic AI into any workflow,&#8221;&nbsp; Adam Evans, Salesforce's EVP and GM of AI Platform, said in a <a href="https://investor.salesforce.com/news/news-details/2025/Salesforce-Launches-Agentforce-2dx-with-New-Capabilities-to-Embed-Proactive-Agentic-AI-into-Any-Workflow-Create-Multimodal-Experiences-and-Extend-Digital-Labor-Throughout-the-Enterprise/default.aspx">statement</a>.
Salesforce also introduced AgentExchange, a marketplace that allows developers and partners to monetize prebuilt AI actions, templates and solutions.
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<li>Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart &amp; Target – <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mode-mobile-2">Many are rushing to grab 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.30/share!</a></li>
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Image: Shutterstock

DUOL

'AI Agents Can Be 10x Employees'—AI Customer Support Chatbot Startup Founded Two Years Ago Seeks $100 Million At A $1.5 Billion Valuation

As ValueAct Holdings, LP. buys a fresh stake in Rocket Companies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RKT#NYSE">RKT</a>), Andrew Left&#8216;s Citron Research endorses the move, calling the investment a &#8220;multi-year story.&#8221;
What Happened: The co-CEO and CIO of ValueAct, Mason Morfit, added 6.728 million shares worth $81.213 million to its portfolio during the first quarter, according to its 13F filings.
The company represented 1.8% of ValueAct&#8217;s total holdings as of the first quarter.
However, Rocket&#8217;s recent SEC filing dated May 15 showed that ValueAct held 15.125 million shares in the company, representing 9.9% of the total stake.
Citron Research cited this in an X post and lauded the co-CEO, Morfit, for being the &#8220;most strategic, long-term thinkers&#8221; and stating that he is one of the minds who reshaped Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) from the boardroom. 
&#8220;When someone like that sees $RKT as a compounder, it's not about quarterly noise—it's the start of a multi-year story,&#8221; said Citron&#8217;s post.
Highlighting Morfit&#8217;s comments, it added, &#8220;The CEO called Rocket a &#8216;sleeping giant&#8217; in its &#8216;early innings&#8217; yesterday,&#8221; the post added.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24RKT&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$RKT</a> – Game on. ValueAct just filed a 10% stake. Mason Morfit isn't just any investor—he's the mind who reshaped Microsoft from the boardroom. Citron has been active on Wall Street for 25+ years, and Morfit remains one of the most strategic, long-term thinkers we've ever met.…
&mdash; Citron Research (@CitronResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/CitronResearch/status/1923119403777786252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/market-summary/25/05/45399940/warren-buffett-shows-how-patience-pays-98-of-his-160-billion-wealth-came-after-turning-65-thanks-the-power-of-compound-interest">Warren Buffett Shows How Patience Pays: 98% Of His $160 Billion Wealth Came After Turning 65, Thanks The Power Of &#8216;Compound Interest&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: Apart from Rocket Companies, ValueAct&#8217;s 13F filings showed 13 more companies that the firm held a stake in, after the first quarter. Here is a list of all its holdings.
<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"> 
<table class="has-fixed-layout">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Holdings As Of Q1</td>
<td>Stake</td>
<td>Value (In Million)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>)</td>
<td>17%</td>
<td>$777.84</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DIS#NYSE">DIS</a>)</td>
<td>14%</td>
<td>$648.07</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Insight Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NSIT#NASDAQ">NSIT</a>)</td>
<td>13%</td>
<td>$609.22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>)</td>
<td>13%</td>
<td>$584.93</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Roblox Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RBLX#NYSE">RBLX</a>)</td>
<td>11%</td>
<td>$510.91</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Visa Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/V#NYSE">V</a>)</td>
<td>10%</td>
<td>$460.14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Liberty Media Corp. Series C (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LLYVK#NASDAQ">LLYVK</a>)</td>
<td>5.80%</td>
<td>$266.01</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Expedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/EXPE#NASDAQ">EXPE</a>)</td>
<td>4.10%</td>
<td>$187.79</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Live Nation Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LYV#NYSE">LYV</a>)</td>
<td>2.50%</td>
<td>$115.60</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Liberty Media Corp. Series A (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LLYVA#NASDAQ">LLYVA</a>)</td>
<td>2.40%</td>
<td>$111.53</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>)</td>
<td>2.30%</td>
<td>$107.14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Toast Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TOST#NYSE">TOST</a>)</td>
<td>1.90%</td>
<td>$86.15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rocket Companies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RKT#NYSE">RKT</a>)</td>
<td>1.80%</td>
<td>$81.21</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nu Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NU#NYSE">NU</a>)</td>
<td>0.80%</td>
<td>$34.98</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</figure>
Price Action: Shares of RKT rose 1.35% on Thursday. The stock was up 17.70% on a year-to-date basis, but 8% lower over a year. It was trading nearly 6% higher during the premarket session on Friday.
Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings shows that RKT had a stronger price trend over the short and the medium term but a weaker trend over the long term. Its momentum ranking was moderate at the 37.21th percentile. You can check the details of other metrics <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound">over here</a>. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="147" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/16064327/RKT-EDGE-1024x147.png" alt="" class="wp-image-917733" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/16064327/RKT-EDGE-1024x147.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/16064327/RKT-EDGE-300x43.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/16064327/RKT-EDGE-768x110.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/16064327/RKT-EDGE.png 1219w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>), which track the S&amp;P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were higher in premarket on Friday. The SPY was up 0.24% to $591.85, while the QQQ advanced 0.24% to $520.50, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a> data.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/market-summary/25/05/45461488/walmart-e-commerce-turns-profitable-for-the-first-time-despite-reduced-tariffs-ceo-says-full-impact-cant-be-absorbed-price-hikes-likely">Walmart E-Commerce Turns Profitable For The First Time: Despite Reduced Tariffs, CEO Says Full Impact Can&#8217;t Be Absorbed, Price Hikes Likely</a></li>
</ul>
Image Via Shutterstock

Market Summary

Broad U.S. Equity ETFs

Futures

Hedge Funds

ETFs

General

AMZN

EXPE

LLYVA

LLYVK

NSIT

RBLX

TOST

Rocket Companies Soars 6% In Friday Premarket As Activist Investor ValueAct Reveals New Position, Calls RKT A 'Sleeping Giant' In Early Innings

<a href="https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-convergence-ai/#:~:text=Salesforce%20has%20signed%20a%20definitive,like%20tasks%20in%20digital%20environments">https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-convergence-ai/#:~:text=Salesforce%20has%20signed%20a%20definitive,like%20tasks%20in%20digital%20environments</a>

Reported Earlier: "Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Convergence.ai"; No Financial Terms Disclosed

Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz maintains Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) with a Outperform and lowers the price target from $425 to $380.

Mizuho Maintains Outperform on Salesforce, Lowers Price Target to $380

An official report on May 14, 2025 reveals Senator John Boozman's recent purchase of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UNH#NYSE">UNH</a>) stock, valued between $9,009 and $135,000. The transaction took place on May 14, 2025, as per the May filing.
At this time, UnitedHealth Group shares are trading down 18.51% at $251.0.
<h3>What Senator Has Been Trading Recently</h3>
In the past three years, John Boozman made 132 stock trades totaling more than $258 thousand. The largest trades involved stocks like iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and iShares MSCI EAFE Small-Cap ETF. Their most notable trades made recently include key transactions: 
<ul>
<li>Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>): $1,001 - $15,000 Purchase</li>
<li>Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>): $1,001 - $15,000 Purchase</li>
<li>Lam Research (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LRCX#NASDAQ">LRCX</a>): $1,001 - $15,000 Purchase</li>
</ul>
Here's a summary of John Boozman's recent trades:
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Company</th>
<th>Ticker</th>
<th>Stock Type</th>
<th>Amount</th>
<th>Transaction Type</th>
<th>Transaction Date</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Salesforce</td>
<td>CRM</td>
<td>STOCK</td>
<td>$1,001 - $15,000</td>
<td>S (Partial)</td>
<td>2025-04-22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Microsoft</td>
<td>MSFT</td>
<td>STOCK</td>
<td>$1,001 - $15,000</td>
<td>P</td>
<td>2025-04-22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Lam Research</td>
<td>LRCX</td>
<td>STOCK</td>
<td>$1,001 - $15,000</td>
<td>S (Partial)</td>
<td>2025-04-16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gilead Sciences</td>
<td>GILD</td>
<td>STOCK</td>
<td>$1,001 - $15,000</td>
<td>S</td>
<td>2025-04-16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Applied Mat</td>
<td>AMAT</td>
<td>STOCK</td>
<td>$1,001 - $15,000</td>
<td>S (Partial)</td>
<td>2025-04-16</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
To stay updated on John Boozman's trades and other congressional trades, try our <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/gov-trades/members/john-boozman">government trades tool</a> for live updates!
<h3>The Importance of Congressional Transactions</h3>
A congressional transaction is when any representative or senator either buys or sells an individual stock.
Anyone working in Congress must file a Periodic Transaction Report to inform the public of their recent transaction within 30 days of being notified of the transaction and within 45 days of the transaction date.
In April 2012, Former President Barack Obama signed the STOCK Act into law. The act prohibits members of Congress from using private information given to them by their position for personal gain such as buying or selling a stock. The act also expanded disclosure requirements for members of Congress by requiring them to file a monthly disclosure.
<h3>Why Congressional Transactions Matter</h3>
Congressional transactions shouldn't be the primary reason for an investing decision, but they can be an important factor for an investor to consider.
When a senator or representative makes a new purchase, it could be an indication they expect the stock to rise.
A sale, on the other hand, can be made for a variety of reasons, and may not necessarily mean the seller thinks the stock will go down.
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Politics

Trading Ideas

LRCX

Recent Filing Shows That Sen. John Boozman Bought Over $9K Worth of UnitedHealth Group Stock

Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) chief Marc Benioff says Silicon Valley's frenetic rush to bankroll thousands of AI start-ups isn't a bubble worth fearing but the price of true breakthroughs.
What Happened: "If you don't have all those components, you're not going to get the breakthrough … you're going to have to throw a lot against the wall before you figure out what sticks," he told the Financial Times in a new <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c4efe4d3-15d7-44b6-b93f-497f1368ce48">interview</a>, adding that "these 10,000 companies just got funded, and only 100 of them are good. But you have to fund them all to get to the 100."
Benioff argues the same spray-and-pray logic propelled past revolutions from the browser to the iPhone, and he's applying it inside Salesforce with an "all-in" push on <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/09/40745835/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-pivots-strategy-to-autonomous-ai-agents-after-venture-capital-firm-s">autonomous AI agents</a>.
The company's Agentforce platform, unveiled last year, aims to seed a "<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/management/24/11/41978942/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-bets-big-on-billion-bots">billion bots</a>" that can handle routine tasks for clients, a goal he reiterated while <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09/40954193/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-slams-microsofts-copilot-compares-it-to-failed-clippy-assistant-like-wer">blasting</a> rival Microsoft's Copilot as "science projects."
See also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/05/45435279/warren-buffetts-net-worth-secret-is-tied-to-the-luckiest-day-of-his-life-if-i-were-being-born-today-i-would-just-keep-negotiating-in-the-womb-until">Warren Buffett&#8217;s Net Worth Secret Is Tied To The &#8216;Luckiest Day&#8217; Of His Life: &#8216;If I Were Being Born Today, I Would Just Keep Negotiating In The Womb Until&#8230;&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: The 60-year-old billionaire has plenty of personal capital riding on the thesis. Salesforce Ventures has $6.8 billion under management and just scored a roughly $600 million gain when Google bought cybersecurity firm Wiz, one of hundreds of bets Benioff calls his "side hustle" in an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-benioff-salesforce-ventures-investing-startups-silicon-valley-2025-5">interview</a> with Business Insider.
Time Ventures and the company's $1 billion Generative AI Fund have <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/09/40841369/ai-powered-agentforce-and-dreamforce-highlight-salesforces-next-revenue-surge-goldman-sachs-analyst">already poured cash</a> into Anthropic and other up-and-comers chasing the next platform shift.
Benioff's willingness to bankroll long shots dates back to his mentor Steve Jobs and, more recently, to Salesforce's own leap from CRM software to multitrillion-dollar "<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/02/43999577/salesforce-aims-beyond-crm-bets-big-on-digital-labor-revolution-as-ceo-predicts-up-to-12-trillion-market">digital labor</a>," a market he says will dwarf every tech wave before it.
"You must fund the chaos to harvest the miracles," he said to FT, insisting the current hype cycle is a feature, not a bug, of innovation.
Read next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/economics/macro-economic-events/25/05/45435725/tariffs-slow-retail-spending-as-producer-prices-post-sharpest-drop-since-2020">Tariffs Slow Retail Spending As Producer Prices Post Sharpest Drop Since 2020</a>

Startups

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Says Funding Thousands Of Startups Is How Innovation Happens: 'You're Going To Throw A Lot Against The Wall'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia into the United States, calling it a &#8220;golden era&#8221; of U.S.-Middle East economic cooperation and listing a series of multibillion-dollar deals with leading American corporations<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/donald-trump"> in tech, defense and infrastructure.</a>
"From the moment we started, we've seen wealth that just poured and is pouring back into America," Trump said in Riyadh during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum.
&#8220;This week, there are multi-billion dollar commercial deals with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMNZ#NASDAQ">AMNZ</a>), Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NASDAQ">ORCL</a>), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMD#NASDAQ">AMD</a>). They&#8217;re all here. Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UBER#NYSE">UBER</a>), Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>), Johnson &amp; Johnson (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/JNJ#NYSE">JNJ</a>), and many, many more,&#8221; Trump added.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Saudi Arabia's $600B Investment Package: What's Inside?</h3>
Trump announced &#8220;the largest set of commercial agreements on record&#8221; between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, calling it a &#8220;historic and transformative&#8221; leap forward.
 The $600 billion deal includes:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>DataVolt's $20 billion investment in U.S.-based AI data centers and energy infrastructure.</li>
<li>$80 billion joint tech investments by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>), Oracle Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>), Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UBER#NYSE">UBER</a>), and DataVolt.</li>
<li>A $14.2 billion energy export package from GE Vernova (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GEV#NYSE">GEV</a>).</li>
<li>A $4.8 billion aircraft deal involving Boeing Co. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BA#NYSE">BA</a>) and Saudi aviation leasing firm AviLease.</li>
<li>A $5.8 billion healthcare investment from Shamekh IV Solutions, including a new Michigan IV fluid plant. </li>
<li>Additionally, infrastructure engineering firms including AECOM (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ACM#NYSE">ACM</a>), Parsons Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PSN#NYSE">PSN</a>), Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/J#NYSE">J</a>) and Hill International Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HIL#NYSE">HIL</a>) are delivering $2 billion in U.S. services exports for Saudi megaprojects such as King Salman Park, King Salman International Airport and Qiddiya City.</li>
</ul>
&#8220;Today, the Gulf nations have shown this entire region a path towards safe and orderly societies with improving quality of life, flourishing economic growth, expanding personal freedoms, and increasing responsibilities on the world stage,&#8221; Trump said.
According to the White House fact sheet, new investment funds have been launched jointly between the two nations:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>$4 billion Enfield Sports Global Sports Fund</li>
<li>$5 billion Energy Investment Fund</li>
<li>$5 billion Aerospace and Defense Technology Fund</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Defense Sector Boost: $142 Billion In Arms To Saudis</h3>
Trump said the U.S. has secured $142 billion in military equipment purchases from Saudi Arabia, calling it "the largest ever."
The White House said the package covers five key areas: air force advancement, missile defense, maritime security, border modernization, and information systems. It also includes training for Saudi military personnel and support for defense medical services.
The defense sector — particularly companies like Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LMT#NYSE">LMT</a>) and Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RTX#NYSE">RTX</a>) — could attract renewed attention if arms deals are formalized.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Healthcare And Industrial Investment Hits Michigan</h3>
Shamekh IV Solutions will invest $5.8 billion, including the development of a high-capacity IV fluid plant in Michigan. 
Trump said: "We've cut our health care costs by 50 to 90%. You're going to see drugs and pharmaceuticals come down at numbers that nobody has ever seen."
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Trump: &#8216;It's Going To Go A Lot Higher&#8217;</h3>
Reiterating his confidence in the U.S. economy and stock market, Trump said: "Five weeks ago, I told people this is a great time to buy. I got criticized for that. Now they don&#8217;t criticize me anymore. People should have listened. But it&#8217;s going to go a lot higher."
Read Next:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/economics/macro-economic-events/25/05/45379707/sp-500-to-6500-goldman-sachs-trims-recession-odds-as-trump-backs-off-on-tariffs">S&amp;P 500 To 6,500? Goldman Sachs Trims Recession Odds As Trump Backs Off On Tariffs </a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

Trump Unveils 'Historic And Transformative' $600 Billion Saudi Deal, Predicts Markets Will 'Go A Lot Higher'

Wall Street's rally stretched into a second session Tuesday, fueled by improving investor sentiment after an early-week breakthrough in U.S.-China trade talks, easing inflation data and fresh geopolitical headlines involving major investment pledges <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/donald-trump">from the Middle East.</a>
The Consumer Price Index showed signs of cooling in April, as both headline and core readings eased or met expectations, easing concerns that Trump's proposed trade tariffs would trigger a surge in inflation.
The S&amp;P 500 advanced 0.7%, adding to Monday's 3.3% surge, and reached its highest level since March 3.
Technology stocks outperformed again, with the Nasdaq 100 jumping 1.8%, driven by a standout 5.3% rally in NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>).
The chipmaker giant surged after reports that the United Arab Emirates may receive approval to purchase over a million of its advanced AI processors, while Saudi Arabia pledged up to $600 billion in future U.S. investments, with a focus on technology and infrastructure.
Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>)(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Google, Oracle Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NYSE">ORCL</a>), Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>), Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UBER#NYSE">UBER</a>) and DataVolt have committed to invest a combined $80 billion in technology initiatives across both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, according to a White House press release.
The news came during President Donald Trump's diplomatic visit to the Middle East, where he also reiterated confidence in the Republican tax bill, saying, "We're in good shape to pass the tax bill," and calling it "the biggest tax cut in history."
Crude oil prices spiked nearly 3% to surpass $63 a barrel after Trump warned that Iranian oil exports could be driven to zero due to the country&#8217;s threat to regional stability.
The rally marks a 10% surge over the past four sessions, putting crude on track for its best four-day run since 2022.
The energy sector rallied in tandem, with U.S. energy stocks rising 1.5% on the day.
U.S. Treasury yields extended gains amid improving risk appetite. The 10-year yield jumped to 4.50%, while the 30-year yield climbed to 4.95%, signaling stronger expectations for economic resilience and possibly tighter monetary conditions down the line.
The U.S. dollar index slipped 0.5% after Monday's strong gains, reflecting a mild pullback as traders repositioned. Gold rose 0.6% to recover some ground amid geopolitical headlines.
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) rose 1.4% to $104,000, continuing its uptrend and reclaiming momentum after days of sideways action. 
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Tuesday&#8217;s Performance In Major U.S. Indices, ETFs</h1>
<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"> 
<table class="has-fixed-layout">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Major Indices</td>
<td>Price</td>
<td>1-day chg %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Nasdaq 100</td>
<td>21,234.91</td>
<td>+1.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>S&amp;P 500</td>
<td>5,895.69</td>
<td>+0.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Russell 2000</td>
<td>2,105.25</td>
<td>+0.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dow Jones</td>
<td>42,234.10</td>
<td>-0.4%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Updated by 12:30 p.m. ET</figcaption></figure>
According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pro/?utm_source=BZprocontent&amp;t=be2bearmibe3na1">Benzinga Pro</a>&nbsp;data:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) rose 0.84% to $587.87.</li>
<li>The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DIA#NYSE">DIA</a>) eased down 0.4% to $422.27.</li>
<li>The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>) jumped 1.74% to $516.67.</li>
<li>The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IWM#NYSE">IWM</a>) rose 0.45% to $208.81.</li>
<li>The&nbsp;Technology&nbsp;Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLK#NYSE">XLK</a>) outperformed, up 2.2%; the&nbsp;Health Care&nbsp;Select Sector SPDR Fund&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLV#NYSE">XLV</a>) lagged, down 2.4%.</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Tuesday&#8217;s Stock Movers</h1>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Clean energy and solar stocks rallied after House Republicans delivered a better-than-feared tax proposal for renewable energy incentives. The Invesco Solar ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TAN#NYSE">TAN</a>) soared 5.9%, with First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FSLR#NASDAQ">FSLR</a>), <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/top-stories/25/05/45381191/first-solar-eyes-best-2-day-rally-since-2013-after-gop-tax-plan-spares-key-clean-energy-credits">leading gains, up 21%. </a></li>
<li>Semiconductors continued to extend gains, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SOXX#NASDAQ">SOXX</a>), now up more than 10% over the past two sessions. </li>
<li>UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UNH#NYSE">UNH</a>) tumbled 16% on Tuesday after the company withdrew its full-year guidance, citing a sharp rise in medical expenses. The health insurer also announced that CEO Andrew Witty has stepped down, citing "personal reasons."</li>
</ul>
Read Now:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/economics/macro-economic-events/25/05/45379707/sp-500-to-6500-goldman-sachs-trims-recession-odds-as-trump-backs-off-on-tariffs">S&amp;P 500 To 6,500? Goldman Sachs Trims Recession Odds As Trump Backs Off On Tariffs</a> Photo: Solarseven via Shutterstock </li>
</ul>

Asia

Large Cap

Regulations

Commodities

$BTC

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust

FSLR

GOOG

NVDA

iShares PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index Fund

SOXX

Select Sector SPDR-Consumer Discretionary

Stocks Surge, Nvidia Rallies 5%, Oil Tops $63 After Trump's Iran Warning: What's Driving Markets Tuesday?

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-600-billion-investment-commitment-in-saudi-arabia/" title="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-600-billion-investment-commitment-in-saudi-arabia/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-600-billion-investment-commitment-in-saudi-arabia/</a>

President Trump Announced Saudi Arabia's $600B Commitment To Invest In U.S.; DataVolt To Invest $20B In AI Data Centers And Energy Infrastructure In U.S.; Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD And Uber To Invest $80B

In a recent podcast with Dan Nathan,&nbsp;Wedbush Securities&#8216; analyst Dan Ives expressed a bullish outlook on&nbsp;Palantir Technologies Inc.&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PLTR#NYSE">PLTR</a>), emphasizing its significant role&nbsp;in the enterprise AI landscape despite lofty valuation.
What Happened: Ives believes that Palantir is uniquely positioned to exploit real-world enterprise use cases. This comes despite skepticism over Palantir&#8217;s high valuation. Palantir&#8217;s platforms, Gotham and Foundry, utilize AI and big data analytics to simplify complex data management and expedite decision-making.
Ives highlighted that Palantir is involved in &#8220;75 to 80 large AI enterprise deals&#8221;, with contracts typically ranging from $3-5 million, and some even reaching eight figures over multiple years.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Why Dan Ives Says Palantir Is the Real AI Winner Despite Sky-High Valuation" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JkcotyLg3oI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</figure>
Enterprises are not turning&nbsp;to Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) or Oracle (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ORCL#NASDAQ">ORCL</a>), according to Ives. Instead, they are opting for&nbsp;Palantir for data analytics and&nbsp;ServiceNow (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NOW#NYSE">NOW</a>) for process automation of these &#8220;real enterprise use cases&#8221;, resulting in&nbsp;a complementary dynamic where both&nbsp;companies prosper without direct competition.
While acknowledging competitive threats like Snowflake and MongoDB, Ives contends that Palantir&#8217;s 20-year history and proprietary AI tools provide a unique advantage, especially&nbsp;in government and high-stakes commercial&nbsp;deals. Ives&#8217; bullish outlook on Palantir stems from its potential to grow its large base of enterprise customers and turn its pipeline of multi-million-dollar deals into revenue.
&#8220;When I look out in the next 12 to 18 months&#8230;I believe they&#8217;re going to have significant step ups in terms of what we see in US commercial,&#8221; stated the Wedbush Analyst
READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/25/05/45356571/shiba-inu-jumps-27-in-7-days-what-is-going-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shiba Inu Jumps 27% In 7 Days: What Is Going On? &#8211; Benzinga</a>
Why It Matters: Earlier this year, Ives predicted that Palantir could emerge as a dominant force in the artificial intelligence software landscape, comparing it to industry giants Oracle Corp. and Salesforce Inc. He <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/02/43646506/dan-ives-says-palantir-could-be-next-oracle-or-salesforce-as-ai-boom-drives-massive-software-spending-highlights-8-10x-multiplier-effect">highlighted </a>the multiplier effect of AI infrastructure spending, noting that "for every dollar spent on Nvidia chip (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), there's an 8 to $10 multiplier across tech, across the ecosystem software." This trend is particularly evident in companies like Palantir and Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>)
In April, Ives reiterated confidence in Palantir's <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/25/04/44810625/top-analyst-sees-unprecedented-traction-for-pltr-stock-after-nato-agreement-another-validation-sign">growth prospects </a>after the software firm disclosed a deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) amid its growing "federal and commercial" portfolio.
Despite Palantir&#8217;s strong earnings <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/05/45213810/palantir-stock-drops-925-after-earnings-beat-dan-ives-stays-bullish-but-jefferies-brent-thill-says-institutions-still-arent-interested">release </a>in early May, the stock lost value. However, Ives maintained his bullish stance, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/05/45213810/palantir-stock-drops-925-after-earnings-beat-dan-ives-stays-bullish-but-jefferies-brent-thill-says-institutions-still-arent-interested">emphasizing </a>that Palantir is a &#8216;retail-driven story.&#8217;
On a year-to-date basis, Palantir stock surged 57.55%, as per data from&nbsp;<a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Pro</a>.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/25/05/45369770/whos-going-to-buy-2-trillion-worth-of-paper-macro-expert-calls-wall-street-rally-a-headline-sugar-rush-as-treasur" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8216;Who&#8217;s Going To Buy $2 Trillion Worth Of Paper?&#8217; Macro Expert Calls Wall Street Rally A &#8216;Headline Sugar Rush&#8217; As Treasury Yield Spike Signals Bigger Trouble</a></li>
</ul>
Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Here's Why Dan Ives Thinks Palantir Is A Winner Despite Its Lofty Valuations: 'In The Next 12 To 18 Months...They're Going To Have Significant Step Ups'

AppLovin Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/APP#NASDAQ">APP</a>), Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>), Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DDOG#NASDAQ">DDOG</a>) and Atlassian Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TEAM#NASDAQ">TEAM</a>) stocks traded higher Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary reduction in most tariffs on <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/regulations/25/05/45347089/wall-street-rips-higher-as-tariff-truce-halts-us-china-economic-escalation">each other&#8217;s goods.</a>
What To Know: The trade deal will lower U.S. duties on Chinese goods from 145% to 30% and Chinese tariffs on U.S. imports from 125% to 10% for a three-month period, according to <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-china-agree-to-lower-most-tariffs-for-90-days-amid-trade-talks/ar-AA1EAVhw?ocid=BingNewsSerp">The Washington Post</a>.
On the U.S. side, the talks were led by Trade Representative&nbsp;Jamieson Greer&nbsp;and Treasury Secretary&nbsp;Scott Bessent, while Vice Premier&nbsp;He Lifeng&nbsp;led the discussions for China.
Bessent said in a news conference, "The consensus from both delegations this weekend is that neither side wants a decoupling, and what had occurred with these very high tariffs was the equivalent of a trade embargo, and neither side wants that.&#8221; Bessent further added that both countries want more balanced trade.
The existing 30% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods consists of a 10% base rate plus a 20% additional tariff added by President Donald Trump in response to concerns over China's role in producing fentanyl-related chemicals.
The U.S. is also reportedly urging China to increase its purchases of American products.
Software stocks may be rising as the tariff reduction fuels optimism that improved U.S.-China relations could support global economic growth.
Price Action: Applovin stock closed 5.89% higher at $347.90, Salesforce shares closed 4.87% higher at $288.82, Datadog shares closed 5.14% higher at $113.42 and Atlassian stock closed 7.82% higher at $223.75.
See Also: 
 • <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/insights/earnings/25/05/45355288/a-look-ahead-acurx-pharmaceuticalss-earnings-forecast">A Look Ahead: Acurx Pharmaceuticals&#8217;s Earnings Forecast</a>
Image: This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

AppLovin, Salesforce, Other Software Stocks Rally On Tariff Relief

BofA Securities analyst Brad Sills maintained a Buy rating on Salesforce, Inc (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) with a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/CRM/analyst-ratings" rel="noreferrer noopener">price target of $350</a> on Monday.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is the company&#8217;s flagship offering, generating estimated subscription revenue of $7.9 billion in fiscal 2026. It is growing at an estimated 9% growth rate (constant currency), keeping pace with Sills&#8217; estimate for total company subscription revenue.
Over the years, Salesforce has expanded its offering from front office applications (both organically and inorganically) into other horizontal and vertical industry applications.
Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44908035/salesforces-investment-in-ai-and-data-cloud-boosts-long-term-growth-outlook-analyst-confident" rel="noreferrer noopener">Salesforce&#8217;s Agentforce AI, Data Cloud Strengthen Long-Term Growth Potential: Analyst</a>
Sales Cloud represents 21% of Sills&#8217; fiscal 2026 total subscription revenue and remains a core growth business.
Sills estimated that 40% of 135,000 Salesforce customers (not on freemium) are currently on Sales Cloud, which represents 4.9 million subscribers, a 10% penetration of the global addressable market (16.2 million sales-related workers per US Bureau of Labor Statistics and international = 2 x US).
Sales Cloud is priced per user per month based on the edition chosen, with each edition adding more advanced features. The per-user pricing allows each user to manage their login.
The Starter Suite ($25/user/month) includes only the basic feature for managing accounts and leads. In contrast, Einstein 1 Sales ($500/user/month) consists of all features, including Data Cloud and the Agentforce agentic AI offering.
Sales Cloud is one of Salesforce&#8217;s core growth businesses (along with Service Cloud), keeping pace with an estimated total subscription growth of 9%-10% and showing no slowdown.
Sales Cloud expansion deals are driven by Industry Cloud upsells, Revenue Cloud upsells, and the pull-through of more seats to support Revenue Cloud, Industry Cloud, and Data Cloud deployments.
Revenue Cloud is Salesforce&#8217;s CPQ solution. Channel feedback suggests Revenue Cloud and the migration from CPQ to Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) is driving additional growth for Sales Cloud.
Revenue Cloud is priced as an add-on to Sales Cloud for a $200 monthly subscription versus $165 for Sales Cloud Enterprise, representing an average 120% subscription uplift.
Sales Cloud is the core system of record for the entire Salesforce CRM stack.
Gartner forecasts Sales Cloud to sustain a 25% share of the $39 billion Sales CRM industry through 2027.
However, Salesforce is forecast to capture the most incremental industry growth, driven by advantages such as its integrated platform with internal sales systems, business intelligence features for projection analysis, and AI innovation.
Sills&#8217; calls with SI partners suggested that upselling premium-priced Industry Cloud (estimated 15% ASP uplift to enterprise customers) and Revenue Cloud (12% ASP uplift) represent key growth drivers for Sales Cloud.
Agentforce projects are also mentioned to widen the Sales Cloud user base in many enterprises, driven by demand for a more complete data set and user base.
Finally, while the softening macro pushes out Sills&#8217; near-term expectation for Agentforce revenue, the analyst noted that this would represent a material source of incremental Sales Cloud growth in the coming years.
In his base case Sales Cloud model, the analyst modeled a 5-year CAGR of 10%, assuming 7.5 million subscribers, or 13% user penetration of global sales TAM (up from 10% in fiscal 2026), ASP of $143 (from $135 in fiscal 2026) and 8% Agentforce revenue contribution to Sales Cloud growth.
In a reasonable upside case, the analyst arrived at a 5-year CAGR of 12%, assuming similar user penetration, ASP of $157 from higher Revenue Cloud and Industry Cloud penetration, and a 13% Agentforce contribution to growth.
Sills projected fiscal 2026 revenue of $40.31 billion.
Price Action: CRM shares are trading higher by 4.62% to $288.17 at the last check on Monday.
Read Next:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/05/45324239/apples-upcoming-chips-aim-to-challenge-meta-in-the-smart-glasses-battle-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple&#8217;s Upcoming Chip Aims To Challenge Meta In Smart Glasses Battle: Report</a></li>
</ul>
Photo via Shutterstock

Analyst Color

Reiteration

Salesforce Sales Cloud, AI Integration, And Cloud Upsells Drive Analyst Confidence In Long-Term Growth

WIIM

ADBE

ADSK

ALLT

ALRM

AMPL

ANSS

APPS

BILL

BRZE

CCRD

CFLT

CIFR

Core Scientific, Inc. - Class A Common Stock

CORZ

CRNC

CRWD

DOCU

DTSS

ESTC

FIVN

FROG

FRSH

FTNT

GRRR

GTLB

KVYO

LDTC

MANH

MAWSON INFRSTRUCTURE GRP by Mawson Infrastructure Group Inc.

MIGI

NISN

NTRP

Next Technology Holding Inc. - Ordinary Shares

NXTT

OBLG

PANW

PCOR

PONY

SAIL

SNPS

SOUN

TENB

TUYA

VEEA

WULF

ZETA

Shares of software stocks are trading higher amid overall market strength after the US and China agreed to a temporary reduction in most tariffs on each other's goods.

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders will search for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges heavily from its normal worth. High amounts of trading activity could push option prices to exaggerated or underestimated levels. 
Here's the list of options activity happening in today's session: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>NVDA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/16/25</td>
<td>$118.00</td>
<td>$35.0K</td>
<td>14.1K</td>
<td>31.0K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MSTR</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/16/25</td>
<td>$480.00</td>
<td>$43.5K</td>
<td>2.9K</td>
<td>23.1K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AAPL</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/09/25</td>
<td>$197.50</td>
<td>$28.8K</td>
<td>4.6K</td>
<td>18.7K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MSFT</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/16/25</td>
<td>$435.00</td>
<td>$118.7K</td>
<td>1.4K</td>
<td>1.6K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ANET</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/23/25</td>
<td>$85.00</td>
<td>$35.6K</td>
<td>118</td>
<td>650</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>APP</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/16/25</td>
<td>$330.00</td>
<td>$46.0K</td>
<td>1.5K</td>
<td>436</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>FIVN</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>10/17/25</td>
<td>$30.00</td>
<td>$31.3K</td>
<td>421</td>
<td>262</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AVGO</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/23/25</td>
<td>$197.50</td>
<td>$31.0K</td>
<td>150</td>
<td>193</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PRO</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>11/21/25</td>
<td>$17.50</td>
<td>$32.2K</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>150</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CRM</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>06/20/25</td>
<td>$270.00</td>
<td>$35.6K</td>
<td>4.8K</td>
<td>83</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These bullet-by-bullet explanations have been constructed using the accompanying table. 
• Regarding NVDA (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 7 day(s) on May 16, 2025. Parties traded 175 contract(s) at a $118.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 13 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $35.0K, with a price of $200.0 per contract. There were 14139 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 31099 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For MSTR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSTR#NASDAQ">MSTR</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 7 day(s) on May 16, 2025. This event was a transfer of 281 contract(s) at a $480.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 15 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $43.5K, with a price of $155.0 per contract. There were 2993 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 23163 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AAPL (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bearish, is expiring today. Parties traded 300 contract(s) at a $197.50 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $28.8K, with a price of $96.0 per contract. There were 4694 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 18758 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For MSFT (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 7 day(s) on May 16, 2025. This event was a transfer of 261 contract(s) at a $435.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 28 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $118.7K, with a price of $455.0 per contract. There were 1451 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1643 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For ANET (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ANET#NYSE">ANET</a>), we notice a put option trade that happens to be bearish, expiring in 14 day(s) on May 23, 2025. This event was a transfer of 155 contract(s) at a $85.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $35.6K, with a price of $230.0 per contract. There were 118 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 650 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding APP (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/APP#NASDAQ">APP</a>), we observe a put option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 7 day(s) on May 16, 2025. Parties traded 39 contract(s) at a $330.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $46.0K, with a price of $1180.0 per contract. There were 1594 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 436 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For FIVN (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FIVN#NASDAQ">FIVN</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 161 day(s) on October 17, 2025. This event was a transfer of 110 contract(s) at a $30.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 31 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $31.3K, with a price of $285.0 per contract. There were 421 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 262 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding AVGO (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>), we observe a put option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 23, 2025. Parties traded 100 contract(s) at a $197.50 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $31.0K, with a price of $310.0 per contract. There were 150 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 193 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For PRO (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PRO#NYSE">PRO</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 196 day(s) on November 21, 2025. This event was a transfer of 150 contract(s) at a $17.50 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 4 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $32.2K, with a price of $215.0 per contract. There were 5 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 150 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For CRM (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 42 day(s) on June 20, 2025. This event was a transfer of 30 contract(s) at a $270.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 4 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $35.6K, with a price of $1190.0 per contract. There were 4870 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 83 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more about unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Options

AAPL

ANET

MSTR

10 Information Technology Stocks With Whale Alerts In Today's Session

Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) has outperformed the market over the past 10 years by 4.02% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 14.31%. Currently, Salesforce has a market capitalization of $266.28 billion. 
Buying $100 In CRM: If an investor had bought $100 of CRM stock 10 years ago, it would be worth $386.59 today based on a price of $277.53 for CRM at the time of writing.
<h3>Salesforce's Performance Over Last 10 Years</h3>
<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2025/1746804617_0.png" alt="comp_fig" />
Finally -- what's the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded returns can make in your cash growth over a period of time.
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Here's How Much You Would Have Made Owning Salesforce Stock In The Last 10 Years

WestPark Capital analyst Curtis Shauger reiterates Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) with a Buy and maintains $320 price target.

WestPark Capital Reiterates Buy on Salesforce, Maintains $320 Price Target

It is messy.
One tweet sends stock prices plummeting lower.
Another revives the hopes and dreams of beleaguered traders, and they go into a buying frenzy.
Scott Bessent gives a closed-door talk that is on the wires with a word-for-word replay almost instantly and the market rebounds.
Peter Navarro escapes from the broom closet Elon Musk shoved him into and prices collapse once again.
Most market participants are not big fans of messy markets.
Corporate executives hate the lack of clarity and cloud of uncertainty that make it impossible to fit the future into a spreadsheet.
Trading algorithms develop hiccups.
The massive increase in career risk freezes mutual funds and endowment managers in place.
Holding cash and sprinting down the halls at 50 Hudson Yards screaming &#8220;Prudent Man, Prudent Man&#8221; just might preserve that cushy job and allow the mortgage and private Pre-K tuition bills to be paid again next month.
Buying shares of a beaten-up tech stock just before an announcement of new tariffs on semiconductors could lead to a third-floor walkup on Clinton Street and Wallace Elementary School.
Mediocre performance for inaction is a much better deal than training for the Metro North to the Midtown ferry.
There is, however, one group that thrives in messy.
Activist investors, those now-gentlemanly investors that were known in days of old as corporate raiders and takeover artists, love messy.
Messy creates distortion and distortion creates opportunity.
Activists have been embracing the mess so far in 2025.
The Shareholders Advisory Group at Barclays just released its first quarter look at activism and it&#8217;s pretty clear that activists like what they see.
Despite economic storm clouds gathering on the horizon and unpredictable market volatility, the activists aren&#8217;t just staying in the game. They are doubling down.
Barclays&#8217; data shows that global campaign activity has roared ahead with 70 campaigns in Q1, jumping 17% year-over-year. More tellingly, that&#8217;s running 25% above the four-year quarterly average.
Particularly noteworthy for value-oriented investors: companies under $5 billion market cap are being targeted at an accelerated rate, representing 66% of campaigns in Q1. This tells me that activists are finding more inefficiencies and potential value in the small and mid-cap space.
Of course this is exactly where traditional value investors should be looking anyway.
An interesting small activist holding is in the portfolio of ValueAct Holdings out of San Francisco.
Over the past 25 years the firm has built up a strong track record of wins and winning board seats at target companies.
The firm has had big winners with tech companies like Microsoft (Ticker: MSFT), Adobe (Ticker: ADBE) and Salesforce (Ticker: CRM).
The firm currently owns over 4 million shares, or a little over 12% of Insight Enterprises (Ticker: NSIT). It currently has one board seat at the Information Technology company.
Insight Enterprises is a Fortune 500 global technology company founded in 1988 by brothers Tim and Eric Crown as Hard Drives International, initially selling computer storage products. The company later changed its name to Insight Enterprises in 1991, went public in 1995, and has since evolved into a comprehensive IT solutions provider with offices in 19 countries.
The business should see strong tailwinds from major trends including big data, AI, cloud computing and cyber security.
The stock has had a strong run during the time ValueAct has been involved but has had a pretty sharp decline since the start of Tariff Wars 2025 edition.
Many of Insight&#8217;s customers are governments and government agencies or in industries including healthcare and education that are seeing negative impacts from the administration policies.
The stock is currently 20% of ValueAct&#8217;s portfolio and at some point it may make sense for them to gently suggest that Insight look for a potential offer from a larger IT firm.
This could unlock some of the value of the company and give the activist an exit strategy.
Barington Capital Group is a small but scrappy activist investment firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 2000 by James A. Mitarotonda, a former investment banker turned shareholder gadfly, Barington has built a reputation as a focused value-oriented investor that targets underperforming small- and mid-cap companies, usually with a consumer or industrial tilt.
Barington is not in the business of financial engineering or short-term flips. They&#8217;re more like value investors with an activist toolkit that is focused on long-term turnaround stories where unlocking operational or strategic inefficiencies can create a meaningful rerating.
Its current target is Matthews International (Ticker: MATW).
Matthews has a puzzling combination of businesses that include factory automation and tombstones, caskets, and cremation equipment.
It sold its packaging and branding business for $50 million earlier this year as the proxy fight heated up.
Barington lost the first round as the company was able to hold off the activist&#8217;s attempt to gain three board seats.
The company is potentially worth at least twice the current stock price, so I doubt Barington slinks away in defeat.
Like Arnold and MacArthur, they will be back.
There will be more volatility and general messiness.
It will create opportunity for activists and those who track the activists.

Opinion

MATW

Under the Radar: Value Is Rising from the Ashes of Market Turmoil

A former Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PLTR#NASDAQ">PLTR</a>) employee offers a brief primer on the company&#8217;s products, pricing, and prospects over the next few years, particularly in defense and AI.
What Happened: On Monday, AlphaSense, a market intelligence platform that helps analysts and researchers connect with industry experts, shared the transcript of one such interaction between an analyst and an ex-Palantir employee, who served as the expert.
The expert, who remains anonymous, offered several key insights during the nearly hour-long conversation, starting with the platform&#8217;s churn and retention rates. 
The biggest cause of churn for Palantir is a change in leadership on the client&#8217;s side, if the new leadership wants to head in a new direction, they say, &#8220;The big competition for Palantir is always in-house development.&#8221;
See More: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/45057303/cathie-wood-chops-palantir-ark-invest-dumps-9-1-million-worth-of-stock-also-sells-meta-and-robinhood-shares">Cathie Wood Chops Palantir: Ark Invest Dumps $9.1 Million Worth Of Stock, Also Sells Meta And Robinhood Shares</a>
According to the expert, Palantir&#8217;s Foundry platform is not as &#8220;sticky&#8221; or deeply entrenched as SAP SE (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SAP#NYSE">SAP</a>), but it is better than Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>). This is attributed to its horizontal and vertical integration across an organization, such as finance and engineering departments working with the same underlying data structures.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Interview with a former <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24PLTR&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$PLTR</a> employee on <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24PLTR&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$PLTR</a>&#39;s strength and future potential: &#8211; The expert explains that while <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24PLTR&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$PLTR</a>&#39;s Foundry platform is sticky, it is not as deeply entrenched as <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24SAP&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$SAP</a>, but much more so than solutions like <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24CRM&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$CRM</a>. Foundry creates both horizontal and vertical… <a href="https://t.co/AJJ28ula49">pic.twitter.com/AJJ28ula49</a>
&mdash; AlphaSense (@AlphaSenseInc) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlphaSenseInc/status/1916848180555141438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Foundry can be replaced if the organization is committed to doing so, but it will be a &#8220;slow, costly, and complex process,&#8221; they warn.
Coming to competitive dynamics, they add that in a &#8220;typical case,&#8221; the company goes head-to-head with a combination of different tools that are &#8220;stitched together in-house.&#8221; This involves Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SNOW#NYSE">SNOW</a>), DataBricks Inc., and Microsoft Corp.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) Power BI solution, among others, all coming together.
The former employee says that Microsoft is currently the only company that is trying to provide an end-to-end platform similar to Foundry, and is therefore the only legacy player that Palantir is going against. 
On pricing, the expert says that Palantir offers a bespoke approach, with no transparent pricing information for products and services. &#8220;There&#8217;s always a negotiation,&#8221; they say, while adding that a consumption-based pricing model is not suitable, considering the high implementation costs involved. 
They then highlight Palantir&#8217;s growing moats in the defense space, pointing to its FedRAMP app store, which they say is &#8220;very hard to replicate.&#8221; This means that other cloud service providers can sell to the U.S. Government by coming under Palantir&#8217;s umbrella. 
The classified workflows that have to go through the platform result in a huge cut for the company, thus becoming a major moat, according to the expert.
When asked if Palantir can retain its functionality gap and leading position in this segment, the expert answers that if they stop innovating now, they still risk being replaced by cheaper and more capable alternatives.
Why It Matters: Recently, Palantir received the backing of Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood, who believes the company will <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/45031959/cathie-wood-backs-palantir-to-dominate-enterprise-ai-with-microsofts-excel-on-the-back-foot">dominate enterprise AI</a>, disrupting Microsoft&#8217;s lead in the process. However, Wood <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/45057303/cathie-wood-chops-palantir-ark-invest-dumps-9-1-million-worth-of-stock-also-sells-meta-and-robinhood-shares">sold $9.1 million </a>worth of Palantir shares on Monday.
The stock has been soaring in recent weeks, after the company <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/25/04/45019174/palantir-stock-soars-on-defense-deals-whats-going-on">inked a string of defense deals</a> with leading contractors, positioning it as a defense technology leader, and not just a data analytics company, in the lead up to its quarterly earnings, the coming month.
The battlefield, too, is tilting in favor of Palantir, which plans to roll out an <a href="https://benzinga.com/trading-ideas/technicals/25/04/44947382/palantir-rolls-out-tanks-microsoft-builds-clouds-whos-winning-ais-next-frontier">AI-powered combat vehicle</a>, while Microsoft remains on the back foot in defense, ploughing ahead with its &#8220;castles in the cloud&#8221; strategy.
Price Action: Palantir&#8217;s stock is up 1.71% on Monday, and down 0.22% in after-hours trade. The stock is up 52.5% year-to-date, despite a sell-off in the broader markets.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="134" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/28224844/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-8.18.26-AM-1024x134.png" alt="" class="wp-image-891926" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/28224844/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-8.18.26-AM-1024x134.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/28224844/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-8.18.26-AM-300x39.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/28224844/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-8.18.26-AM-768x101.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/28224844/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-8.18.26-AM-1536x202.png 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/28224844/Screenshot-2025-04-29-at-8.18.26-AM.png 1616w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
The stock scores remarkably well in Benzinga Stock Edge Rankings, with favorable price trends in the short, medium, and long term, but how does it compare with peers and competitors such as Microsoft, Snowflake, and DataBricks? Sign up to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound">Benzinga Edge</a> to find out.
Photo Courtesy: Spyro the Dragon On Shutterstock.com
Read More: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/25/04/45057271/donald-trump-set-to-sign-landmark-take-it-down-act-as-congress-targets-deepfake-images-and-videos">Donald Trump Set To Sign Landmark &#8216;Take It Down Act&#8217; As Congress Targets Deepfake Images And Videos</a>

Fortress Palantir: Former Insider Explains How PLTR Could Conquer The AI-Defense Battlefield Despite Pricing Puzzles And Competition

In the current market session, Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) price is at $268.07, after a 1.27% spike. However, over the past month, the stock fell by 0.70%, and in the past year, by 2.78%. Shareholders might be interested in knowing whether the stock is undervalued, even if the company is performing up to par in the current session. 

<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2025/1745604021_0.png" alt="Past Year Chart" />

<h3>Salesforce P/E Ratio Analysis in Relation to Industry Peers</h3>
The P/E ratio measures the current share price to the company's EPS. It is used by long-term investors to analyze the company's current performance against it's past earnings, historical data and aggregate market data for the industry or the indices, such as S&amp;P 500. A higher P/E indicates that investors expect the company to perform better in the future, and the stock is probably overvalued, but not necessarily. It also could indicate that investors are willing to pay a higher share price currently, because they expect the company to perform better in the upcoming quarters. This leads investors to also remain optimistic about rising dividends in the future. 
Salesforce has a lower P/E than the aggregate P/E of 419.76 of the Software industry. Ideally, one might believe that the stock might perform worse than its peers, but it's also probable that the stock is undervalued. 

<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2025/1745604021_1.png" alt="Guage" />

In summary, while the price-to-earnings ratio is a valuable tool for investors to evaluate a company's market performance, it should be used with caution. A low P/E ratio can be an indication of undervaluation, but it can also suggest weak growth prospects or financial instability. Moreover, the P/E ratio is just one of many metrics that investors should consider when making investment decisions, and it should be evaluated alongside other financial ratios, industry trends, and qualitative factors. By taking a comprehensive approach to analyzing a company's financial health, investors can make well-informed decisions that are more likely to lead to successful outcomes.

Intraday Update

A Look Into Salesforce Inc's Price Over Earnings

Press Releases

Salesforce Launches Agentforce 2dx with New Capabilities to Embed Proactive Agentic AI into Any Workflow, Create Multimodal Experiences, and Extend Digital Labor Throughout the Enterprise

Singapore Airlines and Salesforce Collaborate on AI-Powered Customer Servicing Applications, Plan to Co-Develop More Solutions for the Airline Industry

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Date	Put/Call	Strike Price	Exp Date	DTE	Trade Vol	Day Vol	Vol / OI	OI	Trade Type	Sentiment
10:46 AMMay 08, 2025	PUT	$280.00	Jun 20, 2025	29	445	427	11	3953	SWEEP	BULLISH
10:33 AMMay 07, 2025	PUT	$280.00	Nov 21, 2025	183	1075	241	2150	50	SWEEP	BEARISH
11:15 AMMay 06, 2025	PUT	$270.00	Jan 16, 2026	239	457	450	34	1364	TRADE	BEARISH