BOCHK Asset Management Ltd Makes New $6.22 Million Investment in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• BOCHK Asset Management acquired 27,075 Salesforce shares worth approximately $6.22 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 80.43% of Salesforce.
• Salesforce’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $5.90 versus a $3.27 consensus and revenue up 10.8% year over year to $11.35 billion.
• Shares opened at $225.87, down 1.4%, despite generally positive analyst sentiment; Salesforce has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $278.98.

BOCHK Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 27,075 shares of the CRM provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,216,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CRM. Fluent Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter valued at $2,265,000. TAM Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Salesforce in the first quarter valued at $40,945,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Salesforce by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 127,739 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $23,846,000 after purchasing an additional 3,125 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Salesforce by 184.5% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 17,983 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,817,000 after purchasing an additional 11,663 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Next Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,119,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $225.87 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $185.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Salesforce Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.32 and a twelve month high of $269.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.81.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The CRM provider reported $5.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $2.63. The business had revenue of $11.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 12.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In other news, Director Craig Conway sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.61, for a total value of $1,172,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,416,936.57. The trade was a 45.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Blair Kirk bought 4,176 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $239.33 per share, with a total value of $999,442.08. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 18,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,486,958.84. The trade was a 28.66% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Salesforce News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI customer-service acquisition: Salesforce signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cresta, an AI platform focused on contact-center automation and customer-service productivity. The deal could strengthen Salesforce’s AI Agentforce strategy and expand monetization opportunities across its enterprise customer base. Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Cresta
• Positive Sentiment: Broader AI investment: Salesforce Ventures joined a $700 million funding round for Hark, an AI startup developing foundation models for a consumer-oriented personal assistant. The investment broadens Salesforce’s AI exposure beyond core CRM software, although it also increases the company’s commitment to an increasingly competitive AI market. Why Is Salesforce Backing a $700 Million AI Assistant Startup?
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings expectations remain supportive: Analysts highlight Salesforce’s history of exceeding consensus estimates and see conditions that could support another earnings beat. The company’s latest reported quarter included $5.90 in EPS versus a $3.27 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 10.8% year over year. Will Salesforce Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary characterizes Salesforce as an AI-related bargain, citing improving monetization potential and cash flow, but the stock’s valuation and execution of its expanding AI strategy remain important considerations. 5 Stocks to Buy in November
• Negative Sentiment: Shares underperformed the broader market: Salesforce closed at $226.18 in the latest session. The weakness suggests investors remained cautious despite the AI announcements, potentially reflecting concerns about acquisition costs, investment returns, and the company’s ability to convert AI initiatives into accelerating growth. Why Salesforce Dipped More Than the Broader Market

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $289.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Friday, September 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Salesforce from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Salesforce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $278.98.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, Inc NYSE: CRM is a global enterprise software company that provides cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) technology. Its platform helps organizations manage sales, customer service, marketing, commerce, data, analytics and interactions with customers across digital and traditional channels.

The company's products include Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Data Cloud. Salesforce also offers Tableau for data visualization and analytics, MuleSoft for application integration, and Slack for workplace collaboration.

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