Mirova Grows Position in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Key Points

• Mirova increased its stake in Salesforce Inc. by 5.7% during Q1, making the stock its 26th largest holding, valued at over $5 million.
• A number of analysts have varied ratings for Salesforce, with an average price target of $342.89 and several recent revisions to buy ratings.
• CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce, reducing his holdings slightly, while insiders have sold over 52,000 shares in the last 90 days.

Mirova boosted its stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,858 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Salesforce comprises 0.9% of Mirova's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Mirova's holdings in Salesforce were worth $5,061,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 314.8% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE CRM traded down $0.54 during trading on Monday, reaching $247.75. The company had a trading volume of 4,955,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,850,747. Salesforce Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.48 and a 12-month high of $369.00. The stock has a market cap of $236.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.37. The business's 50-day moving average is $258.06 and its 200 day moving average is $270.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

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

Salesforce Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.67, for a total transaction of $557,257.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,950,138,789.57. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 54,827 shares of company stock worth $14,085,446 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CRM. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on Salesforce from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $430.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Salesforce from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank cut Salesforce from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $342.89.

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.