Salesforce.com, inc. shares have lagged the S&P 500 in 2021, generating a year-to-date total return of just 13 percent. Salesforce stock has had a wild ride in recent years, but investors may be wondering whether there’s any value in Salesforce shares after the recent pullback. Earnings A price-to-earnings ratio (PE) is one of the most basic fundamental metrics for gauging a stock’s value. The lower the PE, the higher the value. For comparison, the S&P 500’s PE is currently at about 29.4, nearly double its long-term average of 15.9. Salesforce’s PE is 99.7, more than three times higher than the S&P 500 average as a whole. Growth Looking ahead to the next four quarters, the S&P 500’s forward PE ratio looks much more reasonable at just 20.8. Salesforce’s forward earnings multiple of 54.0 is still more than 150 percent higher than the S&P 500’s, making Salesforce look overvalued. By Wayne Duggan …