Salesforce Inc. $CRM Stake Cut by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC lessened its holdings in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 97.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,099 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 43,725 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CRM. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Salesforce during the second quarter worth about $2,826,049,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 27,361.5% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,424,169 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $933,737,000 after purchasing an additional 3,411,700 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 1,729.6% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,973,141 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $538,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,865,297 shares during the period. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 1st quarter worth approximately $467,944,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Salesforce by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 7,755,317 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $2,087,545,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612,413 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $316.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Salesforce from $325.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Salesforce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Salesforce from $275.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.68.

Salesforce Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CRM opened at $257.71 on Friday. Salesforce Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.96 and a twelve month high of $367.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $246.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.85. The company has a market capitalization of $241.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.25.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.39. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 14.41%. The business had revenue of $10.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.416 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director G Mason Morfit bought 96,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $260.58 per share, with a total value of $25,015,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,994,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $780,309,155.22. This trade represents a 3.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.64, for a total value of $550,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,914,046,729.44. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 173,034 shares of company stock worth $41,097,367 in the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.