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Agilent Technologies, Inc. (A) vs Salesforce, Inc. (CRM): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, A is overvalued at $138, with a DCF intrinsic value of $101 and a margin of safety of -36%. CRM is undervalued at $184, with an intrinsic value of $222981480055 and a margin of safety of 100%. Of the two, CRM has the wider margin of safety.

A
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
$138.37
VS
CRM
Salesforce, Inc.
$184.02

Rewards

A
  • ★Agilent Technologies, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Agilent Technologies, Inc. scores 77/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Altman Z-Score of 5.15 indicates very low bankruptcy risk — the company is firmly in the safe zone.
CRM
  • ★Gross margin of 77.6% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 31.6% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $5.53 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.

Risks

A
  • ⚠Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.08 of earning power — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 2.4% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
CRM
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 0.81 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

Key Valuation Metrics

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A
CRM
Valuation
$930.63M
Free Cash Flow
$16.55B
2.38%
FCF Yield
N/A
27.79
Trailing P/E
21.32
20.93
Forward P/E
11.86
Quality & Moat
12.70%
ROIC
9.61%
21.33%
ROE
16.91%
52.64%
Gross Margin
77.64%
1.23
PEG Ratio
0.76
Balance Sheet Safety
0.24
Net Debt / Equity
0.90
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
0.86
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.38
0.74%
Dividend Yield
0.96%
A: 4Ties: 1CRM: 6
ACRM

Historical Fundamentals

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A

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

CRM

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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A
$-1.87
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$3.01B
Δ Market Cap
$-5.63B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
CRM
$-0.00
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$14.67B
Δ Market Cap
$-79.12
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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A
36.4% Overvalued
Price is 36.4% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $138.37
Fair Value: $101.42
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
CRM
100.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 100.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $184.02
Fair Value: $222981480055.14
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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A

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $138?

+13.8%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +18.4%

The market implies +13.8% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +18.4%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

CRM

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $184?

-21.2%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies -30.0%

The market implies -21.2% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding -30.0%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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A
77/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
CRM
58/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency would strengthen the moat.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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A
-2.45
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
CRM
-2.73
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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A
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 93.9%Retail & Other 5.9%
No. of Institutional Holders1,567
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
CRM
Insiders 3.0%Institutions 93.8%Retail & Other 3.2%
No. of Institutional Holders3,568
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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A
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
CRM
0
Buys (3M)
4
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $26.52M
ALBER LAURA
Director
$500,266
@ $194.58 · 2026-03-19
KIRK DAVID BLAIR
Director
$500,178
@ $194.62 · 2026-03-18
KIRK DAVID BLAIR
Director
$500,722
@ $258.64 · 2025-12-17
MORFIT G MASON
Director and Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$25.02M
@ $260.58 · 2025-12-05
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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A
1
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $3.32M
DOLSTEN MIKAEL
Director
$216,672
@ $135.42 · 2026-05-29
DOLSTEN MIKAEL
Director
$389,511
@ $149.81 · 2025-12-01
GONSALVES RODNEY
Officer
$464,956
@ $154.99 · 2025-11-26
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$130,492
@ $143.24 · 2025-11-18
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$1.87M
@ $150.00 · 2025-11-12
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$249,760
@ $124.88 · 2025-09-02
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$226,900
@ $113.45 · 2025-08-01
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$177,100
@ $117.44 · 2025-07-01
BROWN JUDY LYNNE GAWLIK
Director
$904.00
@ $129.14 · 2025-06-18
PODOLSKY DANIEL K
Director
$211,844
@ $116.46 · 2025-03-31
GONSALVES RODNEY
Officer
$232,691
@ $122.02 · 2025-03-17
RATAJ SUE H
Director
$881,009
@ $126.38 · 2025-03-06
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$286,650
@ $150.00 · 2025-01-21
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$7,050
@ $150.00 · 2024-09-27
MCDONNELL PADRAIG
Chief Executive Officer
$283,910
@ $145.00 · 2024-08-22
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
CRM
0
Sells (3M)
15
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $40.30M
KROES NEELIE
Director
$929,276
@ $238.70 · 2026-01-14
HARRIS G PARKER
Officer and Director
$31.61M
@ $234.70 · 2025-12-02
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$575,140
@ $255.62 · 2025-10-23
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$590,102
@ $262.27 · 2025-10-21
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$567,631
@ $252.28 · 2025-10-20
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$550,430
@ $244.64 · 2025-10-17
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$558,810
@ $248.36 · 2025-10-16
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$536,322
@ $238.37 · 2025-10-15
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$548,796
@ $243.91 · 2025-10-14
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$1.10M
@ $244.75 · 2025-10-13
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$547,344
@ $243.26 · 2025-10-09
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$539,533
@ $239.79 · 2025-10-08
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$555,001
@ $246.67 · 2025-09-23
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$552,798
@ $245.69 · 2025-09-19
BENIOFF MARC RUSSELL
Chief Executive Officer
$545,384
@ $242.39 · 2025-09-15
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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A
FearGreed
😐Neutral(56/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
CRM
FearGreed
😨Fear(39/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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A
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (56)
CRM
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (39)
View A Full AnalysisView CRM Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: A vs CRM

Is Agilent Technologies, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, CRM trades at a 100.0% margin of safety (intrinsic value $222981480055 vs. price $184), compared to A's -36.4% margin of safety (intrinsic $101 vs. $138).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Agilent Technologies, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc.?▼

A scores 77/100 (Wide moat), while CRM scores 58/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is Salesforce, Inc. in financial distress?▼

CRM's Altman Z-Score of 0.8 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. A scores 5.2 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Agilent Technologies, Inc. or Salesforce, Inc.?▼

A earns 12.7% ROIC versus CRM's 9.6%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Agilent Technologies, Inc.'s or Salesforce, Inc.'s?▼

A's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to CRM's 88/100 (Very Safe). A has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.