Salesforce.com forecast current-quarter revenue above analysts’ estimates, as more businesses use its cloud-based sales and marketing software.
The company’s shares rose 5.7 percent to $79.46 in after-hours trading on Thursday.
Deferred revenue rose 23 percent to $3.50 billion in the third quarter.
Salesforce and other subscription-based software companies usually book revenue in stages rather than at the time of a sale, so investors keep a close eye on deferred revenue as a guide to future revenue.
