KeyBanc Analyst Stands by Salesforce (CRM) Despite Informatica Deal Concerns

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is one of the 11 best debt-free stocks to invest in right now. In a sign of strong traction, the company recently reported that over the last six months, AI agent usage has increased by 233%, with more than 8,000 customer sign-ups to deploy Agentforce. Around the end of June, Salesforce also launched Agenforce 3, a significant upgrade designed to increase visibility and control for scaling AI agents.

The company’s rapid adoption of advanced AI capabilities has also drawn greater attention to Salesforce’s broader strategy. On July 2, KeyBanc analyst Jackson Ader reaffirmed his Buy rating on Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), maintaining a $440 price target. Ader weighed both the potential benefits and short-term risks associated with Salesforce’s proposed acquisition of Informatica, which was first announced in May 2025.

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According to the analyst, the deal could be a strategically sound decision. One of the key obstacles limiting the adoption of Salesforce’s AI assistant, Agentforce, is the lack of clean and accessible enterprise data. He noted that Informatica’s tools could help clean up and streamline the data used in Salesforce’s Data Cloud, which, in his view, would be a key step in improving the performance of Agentforce. Ader views this as a practical step toward enhancing how the company’s AI platform works, while also laying the groundwork for future product expansion.

The timing of the deal, however, raised some concerns. Rather than deepening a partnership, Salesforce has opted to fully acquire Informatica. Ader warned this decision could slow down progress on pressing data issues, possibly delaying improvements to Agentforce by a year or more.

In his view, while the acquisition could create value over time, the urgency of fixing Agentforce’s data gap may not align with the longer timeline required for integration.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a global leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software. Its cloud-based platform provides solutions for sales, service, marketing, and commerce, enabling businesses to build stronger customer connections using the power of data and AI.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.