The news
Salesforce earnings released on August 26, 2026, showed Salesforce (CRM) revenue up 11% to $11.3 billion and Agentforce annual recurring revenue (ARR) above $1.5 billion.
The results covered the second quarter of fiscal 2027, which ended July 31, 2026. Revenue also grew 11% in constant currency, which strips out exchange-rate moves, and included a $456 million contribution from acquired data-management company Informatica. Subscription and support revenue rose 12% to $10.8 billion. Current remaining performance obligation (cRPO), contracted revenue due to be recognized over the next 12 months, rose 14% to $33.5 billion.
Salesforce said Agentforce ARR grew more than 240% from a year earlier and that, starting this quarter, the metric includes its AI offerings, Slackbot and Headless 360. Combined Agentforce and Data 360 ARR reached nearly $3.9 billion, up more than 210%. The company reported 3.2 billion Agentic Work Units, a usage measure across Agentforce and Slack, in the quarter, up 97% from the prior quarter. It said bookings of its premium Agentforce One Edition and Agentforce for Apps packages more than doubled quarter over quarter.
Investment gains lifted profit. GAAP diluted earnings per share rose 119% to $4.29 and non-GAAP diluted EPS rose 103% to $5.90, on a non-GAAP operating margin of 34.1%. Salesforce's quarterly filing shows net gains on strategic investments of $2.613 billion, including $2.7 billion of unrealized gains on its stake in AI developer Anthropic. The Motley Fool estimated adjusted EPS would have been about $3.43 without that gain. Free cash flow rose 81% to $1.1 billion.
Salesforce raised its full-year revenue forecast to $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion, up 11% to 12%. The company said the $200 million increase, or $300 million in constant currency, reflected $100 million of organic growth and $200 million from its pending Contentful and Fin acquisitions, offset by a $100 million currency headwind, and that the guidance depended on those deals closing. It kept its non-GAAP operating margin forecast at 34.3% and free cash flow growth at about 4% to 5%.
"We just delivered one of our best quarters ever, outperforming across every key metric," said Chair and CEO Marc Benioff. Robin Washington, president and chief financial and operating officer, said growth in net new annual order value was the strongest in four years, keeping Salesforce on track for organic revenue reacceleration in the second half. Salesforce shares rose 22.6% on August 27, according to The Motley Fool.
The numbers
- Q2 revenue
- $11.3 billion, up 11% (incl. $456 million Informatica)
- Agentforce ARR
- More than $1.5 billion, up 240%+
- Agentforce and Data 360 ARR
- Nearly $3.9 billion, up 210%+
- cRPO
- $33.5 billion, up 14%
- Net gains on strategic investments (Q2)
- $2.613 billion
- FY27 revenue guidance
- $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion
Why CEOs should care
For software buyers, the numbers show where Salesforce's sales push is heading: premium bundles that package agent features with its sales and service applications. Buyers may see renewal proposals lead with Agentforce One Edition or Agentforce for Apps. Before signing, ask what share of the price covers agent capabilities, how usage is metered, and what reporting you will get on the work agents actually complete. Because the ARR metric now includes Slackbot and Headless 360, treat vendor growth figures as sales context, not a benchmark for your own adoption.
For CFOs and investors, three details matter. Informatica accounts for slightly more than 3 points of the 11% to 12% full-year growth forecast, so organic growth is lower than the headline. $200 million of the $300 million constant-currency raise depended on deals that had not closed. And much of the EPS jump came from an unrealized gain on Anthropic, and Salesforce itself warns that future gains or losses on its investment portfolio could be material. Free cash flow guidance of about 4% to 5% growth for the year is a steadier read.
For boards and CISOs, faster agent usage means more automated software is reading and acting on customer data inside CRM systems. Ask which agents are live, what data and actions each can reach, and who approves new ones. With Informatica already inside Salesforce and Contentful and Fin pending, also ask account teams for integration and pricing roadmaps before agreeing to multi-year commitments.
The bigger picture
The quarter landed amid investor worry, described by The Motley Fool, that AI agents could make traditional software applications unnecessary. Salesforce's answer is that agents need its data, workflows and governance, and it pointed to AI and data ARR of nearly $3.9 billion as proof. That figure is growing fast, but it remains a small part of a company forecasting more than $46 billion in annual revenue, and Salesforce's own guidance shows acquisitions doing much of the near-term lifting.
What happened next
On September 1, 2026, Salesforce completed its acquisition of Contentful, according to an editor's note on its deal announcement. On September 10, it completed the purchase of Fin, formerly Intercom, adding more than 30,000 customer companies. On September 16, at its Investor Day, Salesforce reiterated its target of more than $63 billion in revenue for fiscal 2030, a goal it had already cited in its February 25, 2026 results, and said it implies 11%-plus compound annual growth from fiscal 2026, including Informatica.
Salesforce said final settlement of its $25 billion accelerated share repurchase was expected in October 2026. Its third fiscal quarter ends October 31, 2026; that report will show whether Agentforce growth holds under the broader ARR definition and how much Fin and Contentful add.
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