Salesforce Inc. $CRM Shares Acquired by Monarch Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Monarch Capital Management nearly doubled its Salesforce stake in the first quarter, buying 5,213 more shares and lifting holdings to 10,704 shares worth about $1.998 million.
• Institutional interest in Salesforce remains strong overall, with several other funds also increasing positions and 80.43% of the stock held by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Salesforce recently posted better-than-expected earnings, beating estimates on both EPS and revenue, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $257.61.

Monarch Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 94.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,704 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,213 shares during the period. Monarch Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Salesforce were worth $1,998,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Triad Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Salesforce by 12.8% in the first quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,658 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $870,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH grew its holdings in Salesforce by 8.9% in the first quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 155,850 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $29,093,000 after purchasing an additional 12,732 shares during the period. ARS Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Salesforce by 31.5% during the first quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC now owns 78,055 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $14,571,000 after purchasing an additional 18,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Holdings Inc. increased its position in Salesforce by 2.1% during the first quarter. RFG Holdings Inc. now owns 6,058 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $1,131,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank downgraded shares of Salesforce from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Salesforce from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Macquarie Infrastructure cut their target price on Salesforce from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Salesforce in a report on Thursday. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Salesforce has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $257.61.

Salesforce Price Performance

CRM opened at $151.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Salesforce Inc. has a 52-week low of $149.80 and a 52-week high of $276.80. The company has a 50 day moving average of $177.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $204.35. The company has a market cap of $124.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.16.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The CRM provider reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by $0.75. The business 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. On average, analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 10.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Salesforce's payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

Salesforce announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, March 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $25.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the CRM provider to purchase up to 14.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Trending Headlines about Salesforce

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Salesforce to buy from neutral and set a $200 price target, signaling roughly 32% upside and citing valuation appeal plus AI-related gains. Monness upgrades Salesforce stock on valuation, AI gains; sees 31% upside
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reiterated confidence in Salesforce following its $3.6 billion acquisition of Fin, a move that could strengthen the company’s AI/customer-agent product lineup. Salesforce (CRM) Earns Vote of Confidence from Truist after $3.6 Billion Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Salesforce as a long-term growth name and an AI beneficiary, with bullish coverage around its Agentforce strategy and generative AI positioning. Why Salesforce (CRM) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparison pieces versus Oracle and broad stock-picking articles suggest investors are weighing Salesforce’s slower recent performance against its AI growth narrative rather than reacting to a single new catalyst. Oracle vs. Salesforce: Which Tech Giant Is The Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: A recent commentary noted that Salesforce stock has fallen sharply this year, reflecting investor concern about execution, growth expectations, and the company’s discounted valuation versus past highs. Salesforce (CRM) Stock Plunges 41% This Year — A Buying Opportunity Emerges?

Salesforce Profile

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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