Salesforce announced Strong Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the #1 AI CRM, today announced results for its second quarter fiscal 2024 ended July 31, 2023.

• Second Quarter Revenue of $8.60 Billion, up 11% Year-Over-Year (“Y/Y”), up 11% in Constant Currency (“CC”)
• Second Quarter GAAP Operating Margin of 17.2% and Non-GAAP Operating Margin of 31.6%
• Current Remaining Performance Obligation of $24.1 Billion, up 12% Y/Y, 11% CC
• Second Quarter GAAP Diluted Earnings per Share (“EPS”) of $1.28 and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS of $2.12
• Returned $1.9 Billion to Stockholders in the Second Quarter in the Form of Share Repurchases
• Initiates Third Quarter FY24 Revenue Guidance of $8.70 Billion to $8.72 Billion, up ~11% Y/Y
• Raises Full Year FY24 Revenue Guidance to $34.7 Billion to $34.8 Billion, up ~11% Y/Y
• Raises Full Year FY24 GAAP Operating Margin Guidance to ~13.3% and Non-GAAP Operating Margin Guidance to ~30.0%
• Raises Full Year FY24 Operating Cash Flow Growth Guidance to 22% to 23% Y/Y

“Our transformation drove our strong second quarter results, delivering revenue of $8.6 billion and record GAAP and non-GAAP operating margins,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce. “Based on our performance and what we see in the back half of the year, we’re raising our fiscal year ‘24 revenue, operating margin, and operating cash flow growth guidance. As the #1 AI CRM, with industry-leading clouds, Einstein, Data Cloud, MuleSoft, Slack and Tableau, all integrated on one trusted, unified platform, we’re leading our customers into the new AI era.”

“We continue to execute against our profitable growth framework, delivering 17.2% GAAP operating margin and 31.6% non-GAAP operating margin — exceeding our target three quarters early,” said Amy Weaver, President and CFO of Salesforce. “We are accelerating our transformation and continue to drive strong shareholder value.”

Salesforce delivered the following results for its fiscal second quarter:

Revenue: Total second quarter revenue was $8.60 billion, an increase of 11% Y/Y and 11% CC. Subscription and support revenues were $8.01 billion, an increase of 12% Y/Y. Professional services and other revenues were $0.60 billion, an increase of 3% Y/Y.

Operating Margin: Second quarter GAAP operating margin was 17.2%. Second quarter non-GAAP operating margin was 31.6%. Restructuring negatively impacted second quarter GAAP operating margin by (50) bps.

Earnings per Share: Second quarter GAAP diluted EPS was $1.28, and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $2.12. Losses on the Company’s strategic investments negatively impacted GAAP diluted EPS by $(0.02) based on a U.S. tax rate of 25% and non-GAAP diluted EPS by $(0.02) based on a non-GAAP tax rate of 23.5%. Restructuring negatively impacted second quarter GAAP diluted EPS by $(0.05).

Cash Flow: Cash generated from operations for the second quarter was $0.81 billion, an increase of 142% Y/Y. Free cash flow was $0.63 billion, an increase of 379% Y/Y. Restructuring negatively impacted second quarter operating cash flow growth by (16,600) bps.

Remaining Performance Obligation: Remaining performance obligation ended the second quarter at $46.6 billion, an increase of 12% Y/Y. Current remaining performance obligation ended at $24.1 billion, an increase of 12% Y/Y, and 11% CC.

Forward Looking Guidance

As of August 30, 2023, the Company is initiating its third quarter GAAP and non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance, current remaining performance obligation growth guidance, and revenue guidance. The Company is raising its full year FY24 revenue guidance, GAAP and non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance, GAAP and non-GAAP operating margin guidance, and operating cash flow growth guidance.

Our guidance assumes no change to the value of the Company’s strategic investment portfolio as it is not possible to forecast future gains and losses. In addition, the guidance below is based on estimated GAAP tax rates that reflect the Company’s currently available information, and excludes forecasted discrete tax items such as excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation. The GAAP tax rates may fluctuate due to discrete tax items and related effects in conjunction with certain provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, future acquisitions or other transactions.

⁽¹⁾ Revenue FX impact is calculated by taking the current period rates compared to the prior period average rates.
⁽²⁾ Non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP EPS are non-GAAP financial measures. See below for an explanation of non-GAAP financial measures. The Company’s shares used in computing GAAP Diluted EPS guidance and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS guidance excludes any impact to share count from potential Q3 – Q4 FY24 repurchase activity under our share repurchase program.
⁽³⁾ Operating Cash Flow Growth guidance includes an estimated 14% – 16% headwind associated with charges from restructuring.
⁽⁴⁾ Current Remaining Performance Obligation FX impact is calculated by taking the current period rates compared to the prior period ending rates.

The following is a reconciliation of GAAP operating margin guidance to non-GAAP operating margin guidance for the full year:

⁽¹⁾ GAAP operating margin is the proportion of GAAP income from operations as a percentage of GAAP revenue. Non-GAAP operating margin is the proportion of non-GAAP income from operations as a percentage of GAAP revenue.
⁽²⁾ The percentages shown above have been calculated based on the midpoint of the low and high ends of the revenue guidance for full year FY24.
⁽³⁾ The percentages shown above have been calculated based on the high end of the estimated charges in connection with our restructuring plan announced on January 4, 2023 (the “Restructuring Plan”).

The following is a per share reconciliation of GAAP diluted EPS to non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance for the next quarter and the full year:

⁽¹⁾ The Company’s GAAP tax provision is expected to be approximately 27% for the three months ended October 31, 2023, and approximately 25% for the year ended January 31, 2024. The GAAP tax rates may fluctuate due to discrete tax items and related effects in conjunction with certain provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, future acquisitions or other transactions.
⁽²⁾ The Company’s projected GAAP and Non-GAAP diluted EPS assumes no change to the value of our strategic investment portfolio as it is not possible to forecast future gains and losses. The impact of future gains or losses from the company’s strategic investment portfolio could be material.
⁽³⁾ The estimated impact to GAAP diluted EPS has been calculated based on the high end of the estimated charges in connection with the Restructuring Plan.
⁽⁴⁾ The Company’s Non-GAAP tax provision uses a long-term projected tax rate of 23.5%, which reflects currently available information and could be subject to change.
⁽⁵⁾ The Company’s shares used in computing GAAP EPS guidance and Non-GAAP EPS guidance excludes any impact to share count from Q3 – Q4 FY24 repurchase activity under our share repurchase program.

For additional information regarding non-GAAP financial measures see the reconciliation of results and related explanations below.

Management will provide further commentary around these guidance assumptions on its earnings call.

Product Releases and Enhancements

Three times a year Salesforce delivers new product releases, services, or enhancements to current products and services. These releases are a result of significant research and development investments made over multiple years, designed to help customers drive cost savings, boost efficiency, and build trust.

To view our major product releases and other highlights as part of the Summer 2023 Product Release, visit: www.salesforce.com/products/summer-23-release.

Quarterly Conference Call

Salesforce plans to host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. (PT) / 5:00 p.m. (ET) to discuss its financial results with the investment community. A live webcast and replay details of the event will be available on the Salesforce Investor Relations website at www.salesforce.com/investor.

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