Two Agentic Artificial Intelligence Stocks to Consider

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has already made a significant impact in various fields. Yet, the next big wave that investors might be interested in is agentic AI. Unlike generative AI, which utilizes software models to produce content like text, images, and videos based on a user's input, agentic AI focuses on automated agents that can perform tasks on their own without the need for direct human oversight.

Let’s explore two stocks that are poised to benefit from the rise of agentic AI.

UiPath

UiPath (PATH) began its journey as a company specializing in robotic process automation (RPA). It provided tools for creating software robots capable of automating repetitive tasks, such as data entry. The platform includes low-code development options and document processing functionalities, along with quality assurance testing tools.

While traditional robotic automation mainly handles structured data and rule-based tasks, agentic AI takes it a step further by allowing AI agents to work with unstructured data and make independent decisions on task execution.

During its recent user conference, UiPath disclosed its plans for future agentic automation enhancements. Key innovations include the launch of Agent Builder, which will enable customers to create AI agents that collaborate with its existing software robots. Users will have the flexibility to design agents from scratch, utilize the low-code platform, or select from pre-existing templates.

Furthermore, the company is set to introduce Agentic Orchestration. This feature will coordinate activities among humans, robots, and AI agents, providing customers with a comprehensive solution to design, execute, monitor, operate, and refine complex business processes. Ultimately, UiPath aims to enhance the practical applications of AI, fostering interoperability among agents from various vendors through its orchestration platform.

Despite facing challenges during its transition from RPA to agentic AI, UiPath remains on a growth trajectory, reporting a 9% increase in revenue last quarter, along with a 17% rise in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Customer engagement remains strong, with a net dollar retention rate of 113%. To attract new clients, the company has partnered with noteworthy organizations such as SAP, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young.

Currently, UiPath trades at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 4.8 based on fiscal 2026 estimates, making it an appealing candidate for investors looking for a potential recovery after the debut of its new agentic AI solutions.

Salesforce

Salesforce (CRM) is another significant player venturing into the realm of agentic AI. Renowned for its innovation in software, Salesforce has long been a leader in developing a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform from the ground up.

As a dominant force in customer relationship management (CRM), Salesforce offers a centralized hub for managing customer data. In recent years, the company has expanded into automation, analytics, and team communication through acquisitions of Mulesoft, Tableau, and Slack.

Looking ahead, Salesforce is heavily investing in agentic AI by introducing its Agentforce solution. This platform will provide customers with the ability to design and personalize their own autonomous AI agents. Agentforce will feature ready-to-use agents that are customizable via no-code and low-code tools.

Salesforce envisions these agents being utilized across multiple sectors, such as healthcare for patient services to address queries and schedule doctor appointments or in the public sector to assist with vehicle registration and licensing at the DMV.

Since the launch of Agentforce in October, Salesforce reported during its early December earnings call that it secured 200 deals related to Agentforce and has a promising pipeline of thousands of additional opportunities. By mid-December, the company introduced Agentforce 2.0, featuring enhanced reasoning, integration, and customization capabilities, and reported closing an additional 1,000 deals, highlighting the significant potential linked with agentic AI.

Agentforce operates on a usage-based model, costing $2 per conversation. Salesforce aims to deploy 1 billion Agentforce AI agents by the end of fiscal 2026.

Currently, Salesforce trades at a forward P/S ratio of 7.6 based on fiscal 2026 estimates, which seems reasonable given the vast opportunities associated with agentic AI.

Geoffrey Seiler has positions in UiPath. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Microsoft, Salesforce, and UiPath.

AI, Stocks, Investing