Salesforce lifts annual outlook, deepens AI tie-up with Anthropic

Salesforce has raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts while expanding its artificial intelligence partnership with Anthropic, sending its shares up 14% in extended trading on Wednesday.

The company unveiled a new plug-in, dubbed "Claudeforce," that combines its platform with Anthropic's Claude AI models. The move deepens a partnership first established in June and comes as software stocks face investor concerns over AI-driven disruption.

Salesforce, which holds an investment in Anthropic, reported adjusted earnings of $5.90 per share for the quarter ended July 31, more than double from a year earlier. The result included a $2.53-per-share gain from strategic investments, along with a boost from share buybacks and strong operational performance.

Revenue for the quarter grew 11% to $11.35 billion.

The company now expects fiscal 2027 revenue between $46.1 billion and $46.4 billion, up from its prior range of $45.9 billion to $46.2 billion. It also lifted its annual adjusted earnings per share forecast to between $16.67 and $16.71, reflecting a reduced share count, from an earlier outlook of $14.06 to $14.12.

Chief Financial Officer Robin Washington said the improved revenue outlook is driven by momentum in Agentforce, Data 360, and Slack, which are offsetting volatility in license revenue. The guidance also accounts for the anticipated closing of the Contentful and Fin acquisitions, announced in June.

"Some big deals announced in the last quarter are driving the numbers, but so is greater availability of more prepackaged, easier-to-deploy AI agents," said Rebecca Wettemann, CEO of industry analyst firm Valoir.

Salesforce has been gaining traction with AI-powered tools and autonomous agents that automate sales, service, and marketing tasks, an area the company sees as a key growth driver.