- Ziggma
- Posts
- 🗞️ Salesforce Moves on Earnings Beat
🗞️ Salesforce Moves on Earnings Beat
Big Moves Decoded: INTC, DG, and more!
In partnership with
Market Performance
S&P 500: 6,857.12 ⬆️ 0.11%
Nasdaq: 23,505.14 ⬆️ 0.22%
Dow Jones: 47,850.94 ⬆️ -0.07%
Salesforce Gains on AI Transformation
Salesforce (CRM) proved the doubters wrong on Wednesday, crushing earnings expectations and issuing optimistic guidance that sent shares climbing almost 4% yesterday.
The cloud software giant posted adjusted earnings of $3.25 per share on $10.26 billion in revenue—the earnings figure handily beating the $2.86 consensus estimate.
Salesforce's bet on AI agents is paying off big time. The company's Agentforce platform, which automates sales and customer service workflows, now generates over $500 million in annualized revenue—a staggering 330% jump year-over-year.
Management disclosed they've secured more than 9,500 paid deals to date, up from 6,000 just three months ago.
Salesforce expects between $11.13 billion and $11.23 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, crushing Wall Street's $10.9 billion estimate.
That implies growth of 11-12%, with roughly three percentage points coming from the recent $8 billion Informatica acquisition.
CRM stock has a Ziggma score of 82 and ranks above most peers in terms of profitability and financial health.
The tech giant has more than tripled shareholder returns in the past decade but trades 35% below all-time highs.
Our Takeaway
After tumbling 29% this year amid fears that AI would cannibalize its business, Salesforce is demonstrating that it can monetize AI rather than be disrupted by it.
The company's aggressive pivot to AI agents, combined with strategic M&A like Regrello and Waii, positions it to capture a massive share of the enterprise AI workflow market.
With a $60 billion revenue target by fiscal 2030, the current selloff looks like a buying opportunity for patient investors.
Is Your PPC Strategy Leaving Money on the Table?
When’s the last time you updated your digital marketing strategy?
If you’re relying on old-school PPC tactics you might be missing out on a major revenue opportunity.
Levanta’s Affiliate Ad Shift Calculator shows how shifting budget from PPC to creator-led partnerships can significantly improve conversion rates, ROI, and efficiency.
Discover how optimizing your affiliate strategy can unlock new profit potential:
Commission structure: Find the ideal balance between cost and performance
Traffic mix: See how creator-driven traffic impacts conversions
Creator engagement: Measure how authentic partnerships scale ROI
Built for brands ready to modernize how they grow.
Market Overview 📈
Wall Street marked time on Thursday as traders awaited next week's critical Federal Reserve decision, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq edging slightly higher while the Dow slipped.
The market's cautious posture reflects high conviction around a 25-basis-point rate cut—futures now price in an 87% probability—making the December 18th meeting more about forward guidance than the cut itself.
Initial jobless claims plummeted to 191,000, the lowest reading since September 2022, crushing expectations for 220,000.
However, economists quickly dismissed the print as seasonal noise from the Thanksgiving holiday rather than genuine labor market strength.
This follows Wednesday's disappointing ADP private payrolls report and mounting evidence of corporate restructuring.
The Treasury market wasn't buying the strong claims data either. Yields continued climbing, with the 30-year bond trading near levels not seen since 2023, reflecting persistent deficit concerns and stubborn inflation expectations.
Bitcoin showed renewed life, stabilizing above $90,000 after dipping below $85,000 earlier in the week—offering some relief to battered crypto investors.
As one market strategist noted: "After a great 11 months and some recent volatility, we're just marking time into year-end."
Stock Moves Deciphered 📈
🛍️ Dollar General (DG)
The discount retailer surged to a 15-month high after raising full-year guidance and reporting strong third-quarter results.
Dollar General now expects earnings between $5.60 and $5.80 per share, up from prior guidance of $5.32 to $5.72.
The company's outperformance reflects robust demand from value-conscious consumers across all income levels in an uncertain economic environment.
🚀 MarketAxess (MKTX)
The electronic trading platform for fixed-income securities saw its stock gain momentum on December 4th after releasing November trading volume statistics.
The positive movement comes after a period of underperformance, suggesting renewed investor confidence in the company's ability to capture share in the bond trading market despite a cautious analyst outlook.
🤖 Intel (INTC)
Intel shares declined significantly after the chipmaker announced it would not sell its networking and communications unit, reversing earlier expectations of a divestiture as part of a broader turnaround strategy.
The decision disappointed investors who had hoped proceeds from asset sales would strengthen Intel's balance sheet as it invests heavily in manufacturing expansion.
🏠 Lennar (LEN)
The homebuilder's stock dropped sharply after JPMorgan downgraded it to "underweight" and lowered its price target.
Analysts cited compressing gross margins due to increased incentives, lowered earnings forecasts, and signs of a slowdown in key southern housing markets where Lennar has significant exposure, raising concerns about near-term profitability.
Headlines You Can't Miss 👀
📊 Natural gas futures hit $5.046 per million BTUs, reaching three-year highs as frigid weather slammed the Midwest and East Coast—natgas is up 50% in Q4 alone.
✈️ Citi initiated U.S. airlines at “buy” ratings, arguing that 2025's underperformance and capacity cuts have created a tactically bullish setup for American Airlines, Delta, and United heading into 2026.
🚗 Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with President Trump to discuss chip export controls, blasting state-by-state AI regulations while supporting federal restrictions ensuring American companies get first access to advanced chips.
💼 U.S. job cut announcements topped 1.17 million in 2025, a 54% increase from last year and the highest level since the COVID pandemic, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
📉 Apple could face near-term pressure, warns BTIG's chief market technician, noting the stock is 25% above its 200-day moving average and "once again is poised for a drop" heading into January.
🏪 Kroger shares dropped 6.5% after third-quarter revenue missed estimates, with identical sales growth of 2.6% falling short of the 2.9% consensus and gross margins coming in light.
🤖 AI builders are dominating tech performance in 2025, with data storage companies Western Digital and Seagate Technology leading the S&P 500 tech sector with gains of 255% and 206% respectively.
🏦 Science Applications International soared 17% after third-quarter earnings beat consensus by 26% and the government contractor raised full-year guidance for 2026 and 2027.
Trending Stocks 📊
💸 Meta Platforms (META)
Meta rallied nearly 4% on Thursday after Bloomberg reported that CEO Mark Zuckerberg and management are weighing cuts as deep as 30% in the company's "metaverse group" in 2026.
The restructuring signals a continued shift away from Reality Labs losses toward core advertising and AI initiatives.
Stephanie Link of Hightower Advisors called it "the start of more upside to come," adding that the stock "should be up way more than this in my opinion."
💰 UiPath (PATH)
The business automation software provider jumped 24% after posting third-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street's expectations.
UiPath reported adjusted earnings of $0.16 per share on revenue of $411 million, beating analyst estimates of $0.15 per share and $393 million, respectively.
The strong performance demonstrates continued demand for robotic process automation as enterprises seek efficiency gains.
⬇️ Snowflake (SNOW)
Shares tumbled more than 11% despite beating third-quarter estimates, as the company's product revenue growth guidance for the January quarter disappointed investors.
The muted outlook overshadowed a solid quarter and raised questions about competitive pressures in the cloud data storage market.
Expectations were high heading into the results, with the stock up 72% year-to-date before the report.
What’s Next?
Key market and macro news 👇
📊 The monthly U.S. jobs report, including the unemployment rate, non-farm payrolls, and average hourly earnings, will be released, providing key insights into the health of the labor market.
💸 The preliminary University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment and Inflation Expectations data for December will be released, indicating consumer confidence and future inflation expectations.
🤝 Data on U.S. international trade in goods and services for September will be released, which was also rescheduled from an earlier date.
Chart of the Day
Source: App Economy Insights
Meme of the Day
Great investing starts with great information.
Forward The Market Scoop to anyone who wants to stay ahead of the market through a pertinent and entertaining newsletter format.
DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. The newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell assets or make financial decisions. Please exercise caution and conduct your own research.