Salesforce Inc. $CRM Shares Sold by Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC

Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 62.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,953 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 3,182 shares during the quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC lifted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 410.3% during the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 148 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE CRM opened at $264.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $217.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Salesforce Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.32 and a 12 month high of $269.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $189.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.47.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The CRM provider reported $5.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $2.63. The business had revenue of $11.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.33 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 24.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.91 EPS. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 16.670-16.710 EPS and its Q3 2027 guidance at 3.420-3.440 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 12.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 17th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 17th. Salesforce’s payout ratio is presently 16.04%.

Key Salesforce News

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Anthropic partnership strengthens AI outlook: Salesforce and Anthropic launched “Claudeforce,” integrating Claude AI into Salesforce’s platform. The partnership is viewed as a potential source of new revenue, improved Agentforce adoption and access to additional enterprise customers. Salesforce partners with Anthropic to integrate Claude AI into its ecosystem
• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly performance and higher guidance: Salesforce reported $11.35 billion in quarterly revenue, up 10.8% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $5.90 per share versus the $3.27 consensus estimate. Current remaining performance obligations rose 14%, while management’s increased fiscal-year outlook supports expectations for accelerating growth. Salesforce: Proving That AI Needs A Software Partner
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets: Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its target to $300, BTIG reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $300 target, and Needham maintained its Buy rating while setting a $400 target. The revisions indicate that analysts see improving business trends and further upside from Salesforce’s AI offerings. BTIG says it is incrementally confident in improving business trends
• Positive Sentiment: Enterprise software rebound provides a tailwind: Salesforce is participating in a broader recovery in enterprise software stocks as bearish positions unwind and investors rotate back toward established AI beneficiaries. Jim Cramer breaks down the enterprise software rebound
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Salesforce’s board approved a $0.44-per-share cash dividend, payable October 8 to shareholders of record September 17. The payment adds shareholder income but is unlikely to be the primary driver of the stock’s move. Salesforce Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Execution expectations are rising: After a sharp rally, investors will expect Salesforce to convert Agentforce and Claudeforce interest into sustained revenue acceleration. Elevated expectations and the stock’s proximity to its yearly high could increase sensitivity to any signs of slower adoption or weaker guidance.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price objective on Salesforce from $295.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Salesforce from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. HC Wainwright cut shares of Salesforce to a “negative” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Salesforce from $204.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on Salesforce from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Salesforce presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.50.

Salesforce Profile

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.