2 Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Consider Buying

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been a significant development in the AI landscape, allowing users to create text, images, videos, or audio content based on their prompts. A good example of this is the interaction with ChatGPT, where questions lead to relevant text responses. The next wave in AI innovation is agentic AI, which is designed to operate independently, enabling automated AI agents to handle assigned tasks without the need for continuous human oversight.

This raises the question: which companies are positioning themselves to benefit from this shift to agentic AI? Let's explore two notable stocks in this space.

UiPath

UiPath (PATH -1.02%) initially made a name for itself as a robotic process automation company. It provided businesses with the tools to develop software robots that could automate repetitive tasks, like data entry. UiPath also offered low-code development tools, document processing capabilities, and quality assurance testing embedded within its platform.

Traditional robotic automation deals primarily with structured data and follows predefined rules to automate tasks. In contrast, agentic AI can engage with unstructured data and make autonomous decisions on how to accomplish tasks. At its recent user conference, UiPath unveiled its plans for agentic automation. One of the key features will be the "Agent Builder," allowing users to create autonomous AI agents either from scratch, utilizing a low-code interface, or using pre-built templates.

The company is also set to launch "Agentic Orchestration," a feature that facilitates collaboration among humans, software robots, and AI agents. This orchestrated approach aims to allow customers to design, monitor, and enhance complex business processes effectively. UiPath's strategy is to become the go-to platform for integrating AI agents from any vendor, thereby increasing the cohesiveness of agentic AI solutions.

Though UiPath has been navigating challenges during its transition from a robotic automation firm to an agentic AI company, the return of its founder as CEO signifies renewed leadership and direction. The company continues to experience growth, with a reported revenue increase of 9% last quarter and a rise in annual recurring revenue (ARR) of 17%. Additionally, existing clients are spending more, leading to a strong net dollar retention rate of 113%. To expand its customer base, UiPath has partnered with major firms like SAP, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young.

Currently, UiPath is trading at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 4.8 times the fiscal 2026 analyst estimates, making it a potentially appealing choice for investors eyeing a rebound once its new agentic AI solutions are launched.

Salesforce

Another prominent player in the agentic AI space is Salesforce (CRM -0.39%). Renowned for its innovative approach, Salesforce was one of the pioneers of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.

The company has established itself as a leader in customer relationship management (CRM) by providing a centralized platform for managing customer data. Recently, Salesforce has expanded into automation, analytics, and employee collaboration, fueled by strategic acquisitions such as Mulesoft, Tableau, and Slack.

Looking ahead, Salesforce is heavily investing in agentic AI, launching its "Agentforce" solution. This platform enables customers to build and tailor their own autonomous AI agents. Agentforce includes customizable agents designed for various industries, making it accessible through no-code and low-code tools.

Examples of potential applications for these agents include healthcare, where they could serve as patient service agents to answer inquiries and assist in scheduling doctor appointments. In the public sector, they could function as DMV agents, providing information on vehicle registrations and appointments.

Shortly after launching Agentforce, Salesforce reported closing 200 deals related to the platform and indicated a robust pipeline with thousands of potential agreements. In mid-December, the company introduced Agentforce 2.0, featuring enhanced reasoning capabilities and customization options, leading to another 1,000 closed deals. This rapid acquisition of customers reflects the significant promise of agentic AI.

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

Currently, Salesforce is trading at a forward P/S ratio of 7.6 times fiscal 2026 analyst estimates, a reasonable valuation considering the immense opportunities presented by the agentic AI market.

Geoffrey Seiler has positions in UiPath. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Microsoft, Salesforce, and UiPath. The Motley Fool also recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

AI, Stocks, Automation