Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Raises Stake in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. boosted its Salesforce stake by 55.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 48,300 shares worth about $12.8 million.
• Salesforce’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $3.81 versus the $3.05 consensus and revenue of $11.2 billion, up 12.1% year over year.
• The company also announced a $25 billion share buyback and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.44 per share, signaling management confidence and returning more capital to shareholders.

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 55.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,300 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 17,250 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Salesforce were worth $12,795,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Salesforce by 1,145.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 13,066 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 12,017 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 21,455 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $5,085,000 after acquiring an additional 10,633 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 187,071 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $44,336,000 after acquiring an additional 4,233 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 467,551 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $113,420,000 after acquiring an additional 61,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 42.2% during the 3rd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 281,054 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $66,610,000 after acquiring an additional 83,403 shares during the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Up 3.7%

CRM opened at $173.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $184.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $215.65. The company has a market cap of $142.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.14. Salesforce Inc. has a 1 year low of $163.52 and a 1 year high of $292.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The CRM provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.76. Salesforce had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 17.96%.The firm had revenue of $11.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.78 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 13.110-13.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.110-3.130 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 9.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, March 16th that permits the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the CRM provider to reacquire up to 14.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. Salesforce's payout ratio is 22.54%.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In related news, Director Laura Alber bought 2,571 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $194.58 per share, for a total transaction of $500,265.18. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 9,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,347.40. This represents a 36.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Blair Kirk acquired 2,570 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $194.62 per share, with a total value of $500,173.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,664,153.18. This represents a 23.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Salesforce News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce’s stock rose after reports highlighted expanding AI momentum, solid financial performance, and a newly announced U.S. Air Force contract that bolsters confidence in demand for Agentforce and secure government cloud tools. Why Salesforce stock was surging today?
• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce secured a $72 million U.S. Air Force agreement as part of a broader Department of Defense contract, expanding its footprint in highly regulated government environments and validating its AI platform for mission-critical workflows. Salesforce’s Air Force Deal Tests Agentforce’s Role In Secure Government AI
• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce also gained attention after a new partnership with Moderna to use Agentforce Life Sciences to unify global operations, reinforcing the company’s AI and industry-specific software expansion. Salesforce (CRM), Moderna Partner to Unify Global Operations via Agentforce Life Sciences
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles pointed to Salesforce as a long-term value and trending stock, suggesting continued investor interest rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Why Salesforce (CRM) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Negative Sentiment: Citi trimmed its price target on Salesforce to $188 from $200, citing weak enterprise software spending trends, which is a reminder that the broader software demand backdrop remains mixed. Citi Cuts PT on Salesforce (CRM) From $200 To $188 Amid Weak Enterprise Software Spending Trends

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CRM shares. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Salesforce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $200.00 to $188.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $375.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $278.82.

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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