Northstar Advisory Group LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Northstar Advisory Group LLC significantly reduced its stake in Salesforce Inc. by 64.2%, selling 6,428 shares in the second quarter, leaving them with 3,578 shares valued at approximately $976,000.
• Salesforce reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.91, exceeding expectations, with a revenue of $10.24 billion, marking a 9.8% year-over-year growth.
• Multiple analysts have given Salesforce a "Moderate Buy" rating, with current average price targets ranging from $290.00 to $385.00, reflecting mixed sentiment about the stock's future performance.

Northstar Advisory Group LLC decreased its stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 64.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,578 shares of the CRM provider's stock after selling 6,428 shares during the quarter. Northstar Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Salesforce were worth $976,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CRM. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 450.0% during the first quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 314.8% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on CRM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Salesforce from $400.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Westpark Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Salesforce from $340.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Salesforce from $365.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.58.

Salesforce Price Performance

Shares of Salesforce stock opened at $242.68 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $231.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $253.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $264.29. Salesforce Inc. has a one year low of $226.48 and a one year high of $369.00.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.56 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Blair Kirk bought 3,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $254.66 per share, with a total value of $865,844.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $973,819.84. This trade represents a 801.89% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.66, for a total value of $554,985.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,938,108,102.86. 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 70,577 shares of company stock valued at $18,005,778. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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