Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Given "Market Outperform" Rating at Citizens Jmp

Key Points

• Citizens Jmp reiterated its “Market Outperform” rating on Salesforce and set a $315 price target, implying approximately 50.6% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $248.72, despite some downgrades and lower targets from individual firms.
• Salesforce exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.88 in EPS versus $3.13 expected and $11.13 billion in revenue, up 13.3% year over year; institutional investors own about 80.4% of the stock.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "market outperform" rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $315.00 target price on the CRM provider's stock. Citizens Jmp's price objective indicates a potential upside of 50.58% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CRM. HSBC upped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Salesforce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $253.00 to $166.00 in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Salesforce from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Friday, June 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $248.72.

Salesforce Stock Up 0.0%

Salesforce stock opened at $209.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $171.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.21, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.44. Salesforce has a 12 month low of $146.32 and a 12 month high of $269.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The CRM provider reported $3.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by $0.75. Salesforce had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 18.73%.The firm had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.060-14.120 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 3.250-3.270 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Salesforce will post 10.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fred Alger Management LLC increased its position in Salesforce by 0.3% in the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 14,943 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $3,548,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD lifted its position in shares of Salesforce by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 2,035 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Salesforce by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 199 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Krane Funds Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 8,254 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,187,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBW Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,098 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,445,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Salesforce

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set a $255 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view reflects confidence in Salesforce’s AI opportunity and valuation. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce’s substantial share-repurchase program is being cited as a source of support for earnings per share and valuation. Analysts also point to disciplined spending, AI-led growth and a relatively modest valuation as potential catalysts for an upside earnings surprise. Salesforce Forcing Itself Higher Through Massive Buybacks And AI-Led Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Several investment analyses describe Salesforce as an undervalued way to participate in enterprise AI, despite slower growth. Expectations call for approximately 10.6% revenue growth, supported by AI-cloud demand, acquisitions and cost control. Salesforce Set to Report Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Salesforce is scheduled to report fiscal Q2 results on Wednesday. Investors will watch bookings, remaining performance obligations, guidance and evidence that AI products are improving growth. What to expect from Salesforce’s Q2 earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: The recent rally has brought CRM to a key resistance zone near $210, corresponding with its June high. A strong earnings reaction could determine whether the advance continues or stalls. Salesforce stock hits a crucial resistance ahead of earnings
• Negative Sentiment: The main risk is that Salesforce’s slower underlying growth fails to reaccelerate. Any weak guidance, limited AI monetization or signs that software demand remains pressured could lead investors to take profits after the pre-earnings rally. Salesforce earnings due: Will sales growth reacceleration hold up?

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.

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