D.A. Davidson & CO. Acquires 2,896 Shares of Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson increased its Salesforce stake by 7.1% in the third quarter, acquiring 2,896 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 43,876 shares valued at approximately $10.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.43% of Salesforce.
• Salesforce reported quarterly earnings of $5.90 per share, well above the $3.27 consensus estimate, on revenue of $11.35 billion, up 10.8% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.44, representing a 0.8% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains a “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $278.98, although recent ratings range from “Strong Sell” to “Buy.” Salesforce shares opened at $228.56, while upcoming earnings and guidance are expected to be key catalysts.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 7.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,876 shares of the CRM provider's stock after buying an additional 2,896 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Salesforce were worth $10,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Redmond Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC now owns 5,498 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $1,262,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 50,613 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $11,619,000 after acquiring an additional 4,810 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board grew its position in Salesforce by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 24,346 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $5,589,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in Salesforce in the 3rd quarter worth about $240,000. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 82,840 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $19,018,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030 shares in the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Blair Kirk bought 4,176 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $239.33 per share, with a total value of $999,442.08. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 18,748 shares in the company, valued at $4,486,958.84. The trade was a 28.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig Conway sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.61, for a total transaction of $1,172,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,416,936.57. The trade was a 45.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Salesforce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Salesforce from a "buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Freedom Broker lifted their target price on shares of Salesforce from $230.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, CLSA began coverage on shares of Salesforce in a report on Monday, July 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.98.

More Salesforce News

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rune Technologies, a defense-technology company. The deal supports Salesforce’s push into military and government applications, potentially expanding its addressable market and adding a specialized technology platform. Financial terms were not disclosed. Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Rune Technologies
• Positive Sentiment: TPM Holdings completed an 18-month realignment centered on Salesforce CRM and artificial intelligence for the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Its combination of TrebleHook and The Hunley Group could expand Salesforce-based implementations and demonstrate growing demand for industry-specific AI tools. TPM Holdings Accelerates Investment in AI and Salesforce CRM
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst and investment articles describe Salesforce as a potential AI rebound candidate, citing autonomous AI agents, improving monetization, strong free cash flow and its leadership in customer relationship management. These views may support longer-term sentiment, although they are not new company guidance. AI Comeback Story Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Salesforce’s earnings report is approaching, making upcoming revenue growth, AI adoption, margins and forward guidance the main near-term catalysts. The company’s latest reported quarter included revenue of $11.35 billion and adjusted earnings that exceeded consensus estimates. Salesforce Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Salesforce declined in sympathy with ServiceNow, Fortinet and other software stocks after investors focused on slower contracted-revenue growth despite earnings beats and higher AI targets. The reaction has renewed concerns about enterprise-software demand, AI monetization timelines and elevated sector valuations. ServiceNow Results Dent Software Stocks

Salesforce Stock Performance

Shares of CRM opened at $228.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $188.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.26. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $238.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $198.88. Salesforce Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.32 and a 12 month high of $269.11.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The CRM provider reported $5.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $2.63. The firm had revenue of $11.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.33 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 24.90% and a net margin of 21.99%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company 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. As a group, analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 12.82 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

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

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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