Wedbush: Salesforce.com Inc.'s Most Likely Bidder Is Oracle Inc.

Salesforce.com Inc.'s

$49.42 billion market capitalization and rich price relative to its expected earnings leave only a few giant companies as potential suitors, an analyst told Benzinga Wednesday. Wedbush's Steve Koenig said Oracle Corp.

, with a market cap of $197.33 billion, might be the most likely buyer on a list of potential bidders. Salesforce, which provides customer relationship management technology, has hired investment bankers after being approached by a potential acquirer, according to a report earlier by Bloomberg, which cited unnamed sources. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-29/salesforce-said-to-work-with-bankers-to-field-takeover-inquiries Salesforce soared nearly 8 percent in extended trading to $75.67, after closing up more than 5 percent Wednesday. The Bloomberg report, which didn't name the potential acquirer, touched off a frenzy of speculation. With Salesforce's business fundamentals "deteriorating," Koenig said the company could be at an "optimal time" for a sale. Other companies that might be interested include Microsoft Corp.

, SAP SE

and International Business Machines Corp.

, in Koenig's view. Koenig believes the Bloomberg report is accurate but Koenig was noncommittal on whether he thinks a deal will transpire. Oracle's Chief Executive Mark V. Hurd told a conference last week that Salesforce's valuation is "absurd" and the company "doesn't make any money." http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2015/04/23/oracle-ceo-hurd-salesforce-crm-boston-college.html