Insider Selling: Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) CEO Sells 2,250 Shares of Stock

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.12, for a total transaction of $565,020.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,991,233,709.52. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Marc Benioff also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, September 4th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.50, for a total transaction of $543,375.00.
• On Tuesday, September 2nd, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $566,235.00.
• On Friday, August 29th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.30, for a total transaction of $574,425.00.
• On Wednesday, August 27th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.56, for a total transaction of $559,260.00.
• On Monday, August 25th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.57, for a total transaction of $557,032.50.
• On Friday, August 22nd, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.67, for a total transaction of $557,257.50.
• On Wednesday, August 20th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.07, for a total transaction of $553,657.50.
• On Monday, August 18th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.44, for a total transaction of $545,490.00.
• On Friday, August 15th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.49, for a total transaction of $543,352.50.
• On Wednesday, August 13th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.64, for a total transaction of $527,940.00.

Salesforce Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of NYSE CRM opened at $242.62 on Thursday. Salesforce Inc. has a 1 year low of $226.48 and a 1 year high of $369.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $254.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $265.66. The firm has a market cap of $230.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.56 earnings per share. Salesforce’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be issued a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.13%.

Institutional Trading of Salesforce

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 88,823,481 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $24,221,275,000 after buying an additional 909,853 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Salesforce by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 49,260,918 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $13,452,998,000 after purchasing an additional 776,300 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,873,900 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $5,669,224,000 after purchasing an additional 114,504 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,826,049,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,258,518 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $2,484,616,000 after purchasing an additional 600,386 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $404.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Salesforce presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.58.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and artificial intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer support at scale.