K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM – Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 11,306 shares of the CRM provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,995,000.
Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 159.0% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,325,206 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $4,106,255,000 after purchasing an additional 10,636,161 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Salesforce in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $484,852,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its stake in Salesforce by 285.4% in the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,487,627 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $589,568,000 after buying an additional 1,842,117 shares in the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter valued at $431,157,000. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Salesforce by 9.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 20,051,119 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $4,753,519,000 after acquiring an additional 1,729,440 shares in the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce
In other news, Director Laura Alber purchased 2,571 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $194.58 per share, for a total transaction of $500,265.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,854,347.40. This trade represents a 36.94% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 2,570 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $194.62 per share, with a total value of $500,173.40. Following the purchase, the director owned 13,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,664,153.18. The trade was a 23.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.
Salesforce Stock Performance
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The CRM provider reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.76. The company had revenue of $11.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.18 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.96% and a return on equity of 15.38%. Salesforce’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.78 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 13.110-13.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.110-3.130 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 9.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Salesforce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Monday, March 16th that permits the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the CRM provider to buy up to 14.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Salesforce Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This is a positive change from Salesforce’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Salesforce’s payout ratio is currently 22.54%.
Salesforce News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company reoriented around AI agents and launched Agentforce Operations to automate cross-system back-office work — a strategic shift that underpins Salesforce’s long-term growth story and supports upgraded revenue targets. Salesforce (CRM) Launches Agentforce Operations to Automate Complex Cross-System Back-Office Tasks
- Positive Sentiment: Deeper Google Cloud integration and new AI-focused revenue segments are being highlighted as catalysts that could expand addressable market and support valuation upside as agents get traction. Salesforce (CRM) Valuation Check As AI Agent Push And Google Cloud Integration Gain Traction
- Positive Sentiment: Commercial traction: Merck Animal Health selected Salesforce’s Agentforce Life Sciences for customer engagement, signaling enterprise demand for the new agent-driven offerings. Merck Animal Health Selects Salesforce’s Agentforce Life Sciences for Customer Engagement to Transform Animal Care and Enhance Support Experiences for Employees
- Positive Sentiment: Institutional/analyst support: Barclays named CRM a top pick in infrastructure software and high-profile investors have touted the name; sell-side consensus remains “Buy,” which can provide a floor for sentiment. Is the Market Missing the Point on Salesforce Inc (CRM)’s AI Positioning?
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst ratings are positive on average, but some commentary warns that consensus recommendations can be overly optimistic — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Wall Street Analysts See Salesforce (CRM) as a Buy: Should You Invest?
- Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and peer comparisons (e.g., CRM vs. SPOT) are being debated — useful for longer-term allocation decisions but mixed in terms of near-term price impact. CRM vs. SPOT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
- Negative Sentiment: Shares are down despite broader market gains; investors are likely taking profits and reacting to the stock’s weak year-to-date performance and lingering valuation concerns. Salesforce (CRM) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note
- Negative Sentiment: Competition with Microsoft and other large cloud/AI players is intensifying around AI agents — the rivalry increases execution risk and could pressure multiples if market leaders consolidate share. Salesforce and Microsoft escalate AI agent rivalry in CRM
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have recently commented on CRM. TD Cowen cut their price target on Salesforce from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Salesforce from $398.00 to $287.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $265.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.18.
About Salesforce
Salesforce, founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Francisco, is a global provider of cloud-based software focused on customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise applications. The company popularized the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for CRM and has built a broad portfolio of products designed to help organizations manage sales, service, marketing, commerce and analytics through a unified, cloud-first platform.
Core offerings include Sales Cloud for sales automation, Service Cloud for customer support, Marketing Cloud for digital marketing and engagement, and Commerce Cloud for e-commerce.
Further Reading
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