Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Has $126.04 Million Stock Position in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Salesforce by 48.7%, bringing its total holdings to 469,679 shares valued at approximately $126.04 million.
• Insider trading activity was noted, with CEO Marc Benioff selling 2,250 shares for $578,295, while insiders collectively sold over 52,000 shares worth $13.5 million in the last quarter.
• Salesforce recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.58, exceeding analyst expectations, and has set its FY 2026 EPS guidance between 11.270-11.330.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 48.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 469,679 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 153,852 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Salesforce were worth $126,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Haverford Trust Co lifted its stake in Salesforce by 18.9% in the 1st quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 84,231 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $22,604,000 after purchasing an additional 13,391 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise lifted its stake in Salesforce by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 158,797 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $44,036,000 after purchasing an additional 31,866 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Salesforce by 239.4% in the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,253 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,215,000 after purchasing an additional 5,821 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp raised its holdings in Salesforce by 21.5% in the 1st quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 34,476 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $9,252,000 after acquiring an additional 6,108 shares during the period. Finally, RPG Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Salesforce by 105.0% in the 1st quarter. RPG Investment Advisory LLC now owns 78,204 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $20,987,000 after acquiring an additional 40,057 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,061,511,978.42. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 52,577 shares of company stock valued at $13,528,188 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Salesforce Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $248.0150 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $258.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. Salesforce Inc. has a 1 year low of $226.48 and a 1 year high of $369.00.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The CRM provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $9.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.74 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.08% and a return on equity of 12.94%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.44 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.270-11.330 EPS. Q2 2026 guidance at 2.760-2.780 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th were paid a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Salesforce from $320.00 to $295.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.

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