Groupe la Francaise Purchases 31,866 Shares of Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise has increased its holdings in Salesforce Inc. by 25.1%, acquiring an additional 31,866 shares, bringing its total to 158,797 shares valued at approximately $44 million.
• Salesforce's stock currently has a market capitalization of $237.1 billion, with analysts setting a consensus price target of $342.89 and a rating of "Moderate Buy."
• CEO Marc Benioff recently sold 2,250 shares for approximately $578,295, decreasing his ownership slightly, while insiders have sold a total of 52,577 shares in the last three months.

Groupe la Francaise raised its position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 25.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,797 shares of the CRM provider's stock after buying an additional 31,866 shares during the period. Salesforce accounts for 0.9% of Groupe la Francaise's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in Salesforce were worth $44,036,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRM. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Salesforce by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Salesforce by 314.8% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Salesforce Stock Performance

CRM traded down $0.54 on Monday, hitting $247.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,955,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,225,138. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $258.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.51. The firm has a market cap of $236.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.37. Salesforce Inc. has a 12 month low of $226.48 and a 12 month high of $369.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The CRM provider reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $9.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.74 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 12.94%. Salesforce's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.44 EPS. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.270-11.330 EPS. Q2 2026 guidance at 2.760-2.780 EPS. Analysts forecast that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th were issued a $0.416 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm's 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 approximately $3,061,511,978.42. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,827 shares of company stock valued at $14,085,446. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $404.00 price objective (up previously from $393.00) on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $350.00 to $335.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Salesforce currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $342.89.

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.