Lingohr Asset Management GmbH Reduces Position in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Lingohr Asset Management GmbH significantly reduced its position in Salesforce Inc. by 94.7%, holding only 1,043 shares worth $284,000 after selling 18,674 shares in Q2.
• Despite Lingohr's divestment, several other institutional investors, including UBS AM and AIA Group Ltd, increased their stakes in Salesforce during the same period.
• Salesforce recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.416, which is part of its strategy to distribute profit to shareholders, reflecting a 0.7% yield.

Lingohr Asset Management GmbH cut its holdings in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 94.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,043 shares of the CRM provider's stock after selling 18,674 shares during the period. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Salesforce were worth $284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Salesforce by 6.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,258,518 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,484,616,000 after purchasing an additional 600,386 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 8.0% in the first quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 32,885 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $8,825,000 after acquiring an additional 2,436 shares during the period. Notis McConarty Edward raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 71.6% in the first quarter. Notis McConarty Edward now owns 3,844 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 1.5% in the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,036,482 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $274,802,000 after acquiring an additional 15,782 shares during the period. Finally, Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 43.0% in the first quarter. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 104,834 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $28,133,000 after acquiring an additional 31,537 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, Director David Blair Kirk acquired 3,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $254.66 per share, for a total transaction of $865,844.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,824 shares in the company, valued at $973,819.84. The trade was a 801.89% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total transaction of $578,295.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,061,511,978.42. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 70,577 shares of company stock worth $18,005,778. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Westpark Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $365.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $335.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.58.

Salesforce Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE CRM opened at $242.68 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $253.21 and a 200 day moving average of $264.29. Salesforce Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.48 and a 12-month high of $369.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market cap of $231.03 billion, a PE ratio of 35.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.22.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be issued a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.13%.

Salesforce Profile

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.

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