Alua Capital Management LP Decreases Stake in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Alua Capital Management LP significantly reduced its stake in Salesforce Inc. by 68%, owning approximately $27.67 million in shares after selling 218,866 shares during the first quarter.
• Salesforce announced a quarterly dividend of $0.416 per share, which translates to an annualized dividend yield of 0.7% and a payout ratio of 25.98%.
• Salesforce stock has recently experienced varied analyst outlooks, with target prices ranging from $275.00 to $335.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Alua Capital Management LP lowered its position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 68.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,089 shares of the CRM provider's stock after selling 218,866 shares during the quarter. Salesforce comprises about 2.2% of Alua Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Alua Capital Management LP's holdings in Salesforce were worth $27,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 1.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 87,913,628 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $23,592,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383,942 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 5.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,014,148 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,419,037,000 after purchasing an additional 437,435 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,658,132 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,894,673,000 after purchasing an additional 602,445 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 8,598,989 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,874,900,000 after purchasing an additional 114,278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Salesforce in the first quarter worth about $2,039,196,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Macquarie reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday. Northland Securities dropped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $423.00 to $396.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $255.00 to $221.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.34.

Salesforce Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of CRM stock traded up $6.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $250.40. 13,010,920 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,763,446. The stock has a market cap of $239.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.22. The stock's fifty day moving average is $255.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $267.08. Salesforce Inc. has a 52-week low of $226.48 and a 52-week high of $369.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.56 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be given a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.98%.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total value of $578,295.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,061,511,978.42. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 66,077 shares of company stock valued at $16,885,773. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

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.