Prudential PLC Sells 13,578 Shares of Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Prudential PLC reduced its Salesforce stake by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,578 shares and ending the period with 117,443 shares valued at about $31.1 million.
• Wall Street remains cautiously upbeat on Salesforce, with analysts giving it an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $257.97, though several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Salesforce’s latest results and shareholder returns were solid: the company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, raised guidance, announced a quarterly dividend, and authorized a $25 billion stock buyback plan.

Prudential PLC decreased its stake in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,443 shares of the CRM provider's stock after selling 13,578 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Salesforce were worth $31,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Salesforce by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 4,331 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Mathes Company Inc. raised its position in Salesforce by 0.4% in the third quarter. Mathes Company Inc. now owns 12,558 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,976,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its position in Salesforce by 0.3% in the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 14,943 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $3,548,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its position in Salesforce by 3.5% in the third quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP raised its position in Salesforce by 1.7% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 2,774 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $200.00 to $175.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $281.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.97.

Salesforce News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment is being lifted by Salesforce’s expanding AI push, especially the momentum around Agentforce and the company’s investment in Anthropic, which could strengthen its long-term growth narrative. Assessing Salesforce NYSE: CRM Valuation After AI Agentforce Momentum And Anthropic Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlight Agentforce ARR surpassing $1 billion and growing rapidly, reinforcing the view that Salesforce’s AI products are already contributing meaningful traction and may support future revenue growth. Salesforce's Agentforce ARR Tops $1B: Can It Fuel More Growth for CRM?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-style commentary also frames Salesforce as a strong momentum and value stock, suggesting the market may still be revising its view upward after the company’s recent operating updates and conference commentary. Here's Why Salesforce (CRM) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Salesforce’s presentations at the Evercore and Bank of America technology conferences likely helped keep the company in focus, but the transcripts themselves do not appear to introduce a major new catalyst. Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) Presents at 2026 Evercore Global TMT Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Several valuation-focused articles suggest the stock is being re-rated after recent volatility, with investors weighing strong AI momentum against an already improved share price. Is There Now an Opportunity in Salesforce (CRM) After Recent Share Price Volatility
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-party product news, such as Flosum’s backup and archive update for Salesforce customers, is supportive of the ecosystem but unlikely to move CRM shares materially on its own. Flosum Updates Backup & Archive Solution for Salesforce with Legal Hold, Flexible Retention, and Faster Recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary notes that Salesforce still faces questions around valuation and execution after a sharp run-up, so any disappointment in bookings or AI monetization could pressure the shares. Salesforce: Catch-Up Rally Will Continue; Bookings Rebound Expected In H2

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In related news, Director David Blair Kirk bought 2,570 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $194.62 per share, with a total value of $500,173.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 13,689 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,664,153.18. The trade was a 23.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laura Alber bought 2,571 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $194.58 per share, with a total value of $500,265.18. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 9,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,854,347.40. This represents a 36.94% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Salesforce Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of CRM stock opened at $189.05 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $154.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.88, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.16. Salesforce Inc. has a one year low of $163.52 and a one year high of $276.80. The company's fifty day moving average price is $181.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $209.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 27th. The CRM provider reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.13 by $0.75. The firm had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.05 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 18.73% and a return on equity of 18.72%. The company's revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.060-14.120 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 3.250-3.270 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.37%.

Salesforce declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Monday, March 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $25.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the CRM provider to purchase up to 14.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Salesforce

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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