BSY vs. CRM: Bentley Systems vs. Salesforce Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM) are both classified in the Application Software sub-industry within the broader Software industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Salesforce (CRM) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 23, 2004, whereas Bentley Systems (BSY) listed on September 23, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Profile Item	BSY	CRM
Name	Bentley Systems, Incorporated Class B Common Stock	Salesforce, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Application Software	Application Software
Market Capitalization	13.50 billion USD	175.83 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	September 23, 2020	June 23, 2004
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BSY

CRM

GSPC

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
Total Return (1Y)	-2.57%	-9.04%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.01%	1.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.13%	-6.57%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BSY

CRM

GSPC

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.49%	47.53%
Beta (5Y)	0.92	1.24
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-53.94%	-58.67%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.67M	11.36M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BSY and CRM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.17	-0.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.25	-0.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 26.03% and Salesforce (CRM) at 19.38% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

26.03%

Max: 53.85%
BSY: 26.03%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

19.38%

Max: 53.85%
CRM: 19.38%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 19.57% and Salesforce (CRM) at 21.99% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

19.57%

Max: 41.17%
BSY: 19.57%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

21.99%

Max: 41.17%
CRM: 21.99%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 29.81% and Salesforce (CRM) at 21.38% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

29.81%

Max: 46.89%
BSY: 29.81%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

21.38%

Max: 46.89%
CRM: 21.38%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
ROE (TTM)	26.03%	19.38%
ROA (TTM)	7.73%	5.70%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.57%	21.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)	29.81%	21.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	82.37%	77.28%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.99% and Salesforce (CRM) at 9.58% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 18.06% and Salesforce (CRM) at 22.64% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.99%	9.58%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.97%	9.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.06%	22.64%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.62%	233.65%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.65 and Salesforce (CRM) at 0.84 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.65

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
BSY: 0.65
Min: 0.03

CRM

Software & Services industry group

0.84

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
CRM: 0.84
Min: 0.03

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.94 and Salesforce (CRM) at 1.10 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.94

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
BSY: 0.94
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

CRM

Software & Services industry group

1.10

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
CRM: 1.10
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.65	0.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.94	1.10
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.12	2.40

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.62% and Salesforce (CRM) at 0.77% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.62%

BSY: 0.62%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

0.77%

CRM: 0.77%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 27.72% and Salesforce (CRM) at 15.66% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

27.72%

BSY: 27.72%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

15.66%

CRM: 15.66%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.62%	0.77%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	27.72%	15.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 44.21 and Salesforce (CRM) at 19.55 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

44.21

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
BSY: 44.21
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

CRM

Software & Services industry group

19.55

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
CRM: 19.55
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 8.19 and Salesforce (CRM) at 4.00 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

8.19

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
BSY: 8.19
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

CRM

Software & Services industry group

4.00

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
CRM: 4.00
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Salesforce (CRM) at 4.58 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.79 carries an above-peer premium to book — BSY is pricier on assets.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

10.79

Max: 16.63
BSY: 10.79
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

CRM

Software & Services industry group

4.58

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
CRM: 4.58
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Salesforce (CRM)
Metric	BSY	CRM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	44.21	19.55
P/S Ratio (TTM)	8.19	4.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	10.79	4.58
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.74%	10.08%