Salesforce Stock Surges on Anthropic Investment Gain
Salesforce's stock price soared nearly 23% on Thursday to reach about $252 per share, marking its second-biggest day in the stock market. The software giant reported results for its fiscal second quarter of 2027, which ended July 31, 2026. Non-GAAP earnings per share came in at $5.90, up 103% year over year.
The company's strategic investment portfolio includes a stake in artificial intelligence (AI) model developer Anthropic worth about $5.1 billion. The quarter's unrealized gains included $2.7 billion related to that one investment, which accounted for more than 40% of the reported profit.
Anthropic's valuation rose significantly after it raised funding valued at $965 billion in May. The company's stake in Anthropic now represents about 45% of Salesforce's strategic investment portfolio.
The software business itself delivered a solid quarter, with adjusted earnings per share growth of about 16%. However, the AI products continued to climb, with Agentforce and Data 360 generating nearly $3.9 billion in combined annual recurring revenue (ARR), up more than 210% year over year.