Salesforce, Inc. (CRM): investment thesis checklist
What a value investor writing down why they own Salesforce, Inc. would be relying on, read from its filings: the figures that have carried the business, the lines a reader might set on them, and the published tests it meets today. A list to write against, not a view on the company.
1. The figures the case would rest on
- Return on invested capital: 9.4% in FY2026; between 0.1% and 9.4% over 6 filed years, median 3.6%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Return on equity: 12.6% in FY2026; between 0.4% and 12.6% over 10 filed years, median 5.4%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Free cash flow yield: 7.1% in FY2026; between 1.9% and 7.1% over 10 filed years, median 2.8%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- EV to EBIT: 25.61x in FY2026; between 25.61x and 528.87x over 8 filed years, median 195.66x. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Price to earnings: 27.22x in FY2026; between 27.22x and 1215.40x over 10 filed years, median 131.72x. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Gross margin: 77.7% in FY2026; between 73.3% and 77.7% over 10 filed years, median 74.3%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Operating margin: 20.1% in FY2026; between 1.7% and 20.1% over 10 filed years, median 3.7%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Net debt to EBITDA: 1.09x in FY2026; between 0.21x and 7.26x over 8 filed years, median 0.96x. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Revenue growth, 5-year CAGR: 14.3% in FY2026; between 14.3% and 29.9% over 10 filed years, median 26.0%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
- Share count change: -1.9% in FY2026; between -1.9% and 9.7% over 10 filed years, median 4.9%. Does the thesis need it to stay inside that range?
2. What must stay true: guardrails a reader might set
Each line is drafted from Salesforce, Inc.'s own current figure, never from a level we think a business should clear, and replayed over its filed years. They are a reader's to keep, edit or drop.
Debt to Equity stays at or below 0.38x
Today 0.3x. Replayed over 8 filed years, it held in every one.
Return on Invested Capital stays at or above 7.51%
Today 9.39%. This indicator depends on inputs (market price, multi-statement composites) whose history is not deep enough to re-derive it with the same formula as the live value, so no honest retro-test exists for it.
Dividend Rate stays at or above $1.74
Today $1.76. This indicator depends on inputs (market price, multi-statement composites) whose history is not deep enough to re-derive it with the same formula as the live value, so no honest retro-test exists for it.
3. What would break it
- A filed year in which debt to equity rose above 0.38x.
- A filed year in which return on invested capital fell below 7.51%.
- A filed year in which dividend rate fell below $1.74.
4. The published tests it meets today
Of 30 tests value investors published: 1 met, 29 not met, 0 we could not complete. Counts, never a score.
Meets: Cash-covered dividend.
What this cannot tell you
What the numbers say today, not the day one stops being true. The reasons are not written down.
An account adds
One email the night a number you wrote down breaks. Silence otherwise.
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How this is computedA computation on accounts filed with the SEC, not a recommendation and not advice. Past filings do not indicate future results. Risk disclaimer.