Salesforce priced a $25 billion senior notes offering and will apply all net proceeds to immediate share repurchases through accelerated share repurchase agreements (ASR), the company said. The announcement pushed the stock higher during Thursday trading, with shares last changing hands at $200, up roughly 3% on the day.
The company indicated that all net proceeds from the debt sale will be deployed into ASR transactions with certain financial institution counterparties. Salesforce expects prepayment and initial share delivery under those agreements to occur on March 16, 2026.
At $25 billion, the offering marks the largest debt issuance Salesforce has ever completed and ranks among the largest corporate borrowings in the technology sector for 2026. The raise follows Salesforce's February 2026 declaration of a $50 billion repurchase program paired with a 5.8% increase to its dividend.
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are serving as arrangers on the debt transaction.
Financial position and context
Prior to this transaction, Salesforce carried $8.50 billion of debt on its balance sheet and held $7.33 billion in cash and cash equivalents. The company’s next scheduled bond payment is $1.50 billion, due on April 11, 2028. Salesforce last accessed the U.S. bond markets in 2021, when it raised $8 billion to support its acquisition of Slack.
The decision to deploy the full $25 billion immediately rather than pacing purchases over time constitutes a sizeable acceleration in the company’s capital return strategy and reflects management’s choice to front-load the repurchase activity via ASRs.
Sector-level borrowing trends
The Salesforce move comes amid broader, heightened borrowing activity across large technology companies in 2025 and 2026. Examples cited include Amazon’s $15 billion raise in November 2025, which drew $80 billion in demand; Meta’s filing for up to $30 billion in October 2025; Oracle’s planning for a $45-50 billion raise; and Alphabet’s sale of $31.51 billion in February 2026, which included a 100-year bond.
Market commentary around this wave of corporate borrowing has linked the activity to the dual objectives of funding capital needs, including AI infrastructure, while returning capital to shareholders. In Salesforce's case, the company has placed increased emphasis on shareholder returns following pressure from activist investors to improve capital discipline and operating margins.
Market reaction and peers
Salesforce shares reached an intraday high of $204.86 before settling at $200, outpacing several of its software peers. ServiceNow Inc. declined 0.95% to $114.53, Oracle Corp. fell 0.83% to $161.77, and Adobe Inc. slipped 0.58%.
What to watch next
- March 16 delivery - Initial share delivery and prepayment under the ASR agreements are expected to begin reducing the outstanding share count.
- Remaining authorization - Observers will seek clarity on how much of the previously announced $50 billion repurchase program remains available after this $25 billion deployment.
- Credit rating impact - Analysts will assess how the substantial increase in debt affects Salesforce's financial profile and credit metrics.
The move represents a decisive and immediate application of borrowed funds toward buybacks rather than a gradual repurchase schedule. Salesforce's approach concentrates the capital return in the near term through ASRs, with the company indicating an intention to effectuate prepayment and initial delivery of repurchased shares on March 16, 2026.