Empire Financial Management Company LLC Acquires Shares of 23,825 Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Empire Financial Management acquired 23,825 Salesforce shares valued at approximately $4.45 million, making Salesforce 1.0% of its portfolio. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.43% of the stock.
• Salesforce exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted earnings of $3.88 per share versus the $3.13 consensus and revenue of $11.13 billion, up 13.3% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.44, equivalent to a 1.0% annual yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $249.51, although several firms recently lowered targets or downgraded the stock amid concerns about valuations and the pace of AI-driven revenue growth.

Empire Financial Management Company LLC acquired a new stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 23,825 shares of the CRM provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,447,000. Salesforce makes up 1.0% of Empire Financial Management Company LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Salesforce Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of CRM opened at $181.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $148.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.18. Salesforce Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.32 and a 12-month high of $274.00. The company's 50-day moving average price is $170.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.08. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The CRM provider reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.05 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 18.73% and a return on equity of 18.72%. Salesforce's revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.060-14.120 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 3.250-3.270 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Salesforce Inc. will post 10.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 11th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

Key Stories Impacting Salesforce

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A three-year U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs agreement with a potential value of $1.6 billion is strengthening Salesforce’s government-cloud narrative. The contract expands use of Missionforce, Agentforce, Slack, MuleSoft, Tableau and Data 360 across the VA’s nationwide network, highlighting demand for Salesforce’s AI agents and unified data platform. Will Salesforce’s (CRM) US$1.6 Billion VA AI Deal Redefine Its Government-Cloud Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce was among the enterprise-software leaders in a broad rebound, with investors rotating toward companies positioned to benefit from AI adoption. The sector rally helped lift sentiment after a period of heavy selling. Salesforce Surges 7%, ServiceNow Jumps 8%, Workday Jumps 10% as Software Rebounds on AI Rotation
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary on Salesforce’s earnings move points to continued investor interest following its latest quarterly results, when the company exceeded consensus expectations for both earnings and revenue. The beat supports the view that cost discipline and AI-related products can drive growth. Why Did Salesforce Lead Index Gainers After Its Earnings Move?
• Neutral Sentiment: Night View Capital describes AI as a transformative, economy-wide technology and cites Salesforce as an important platform for corporate AI deployment. The discussion is supportive of the long-term thesis but does not represent a new contract or change to financial guidance. Salesforce’s Impact on AI Deployment in Corporate Environments
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” view, while investors weigh Salesforce against other beaten-down Dow companies as a potential dip-buying opportunity. Salesforce Receives Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the rebound, Salesforce remains well below its 52-week high, reflecting lingering concerns about software-sector valuations, competition and the pace at which AI investments translate into recurring revenue. Disney or Salesforce: Which Beaten-Down Dow Giant Is the Smarter Dip-Buy?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $185.00 price target (down from $287.00) on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $225.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Piper Sandler cut Salesforce from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Guggenheim raised Salesforce from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $228.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded Salesforce from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.51.

Salesforce Profile

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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