Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Stock Holdings Increased by National Pension Service

Key Points

• The National Pension Service has raised its stock position in Salesforce, now holding approximately $577.49 million, making it Salesforce's 28th largest shareholder with about 0.6% of its total holdings.
• Salesforce's stock has had mixed analyst evaluations, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price averaging $348.16, despite recent price targets being adjusted downwards by some brokerages.
• Insider activity includes Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff selling 2,250 shares worth about $532,012, while shareholders received a quarterly dividend of $0.416 per share, representing a 0.7% yield.

National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,151,908 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 103,988 shares during the period. Salesforce accounts for 0.6% of National Pension Service's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. National Pension Service owned about 0.22% of Salesforce worth $577,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coign Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Salesforce by 1.7% during the first quarter. Coign Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $586,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. raised its position in Salesforce by 1.1% during the first quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 3,343 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $897,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its position in Salesforce by 1.2% during the first quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 3,165 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $849,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Salesforce by 7.3% during the first quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 572 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mendel Money Management raised its position in Salesforce by 3.6% during the first quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,112 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Salesforce Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRM traded down $3.67 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $233.37. 7,533,200 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,190,572. Salesforce Inc. has a 52 week low of $226.48 and a 52 week high of $369.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $261.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $277.44. The company has a market cap of $223.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.37.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The CRM provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.55 by $0.03. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 12.94%. The company had revenue of $9.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.44 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th were paid a dividend of $0.416 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Salesforce from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. DA Davidson restated an "underperform" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $311.00 to $309.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $404.00 target price (up previously from $393.00) on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $430.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twenty-seven have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $346.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.64, for a total transaction of $527,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,794,931,019.44. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 46,532 shares of company stock worth $12,082,694 over the last ninety days. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Salesforce Company 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.