Salesforce Inc. $CRM Stock: CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Boosts Stake

Key Points

• CHICAGO TRUST Co NA more than doubled its Salesforce stake in the third quarter, increasing holdings by 109.8% to 4,314 shares valued at approximately $990,000. Institutional investors collectively own 80.43% of the company.
• Salesforce reported quarterly revenue of $11.35 billion and earnings of $5.90 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, while revenue rose 10.8% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing a 0.8% annualized yield.
• CRM shares opened at $228.56 after a 1.0% decline, while analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $278.98.

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA raised its stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 109.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,314 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,258 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA's holdings in Salesforce were worth $990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Partners Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,027,000. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Salesforce by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,850 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $1,802,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares during the last quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA bought a new position in Salesforce during the 3rd quarter worth $214,000. ERn Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the third quarter worth $227,000. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its position in Salesforce by 4.0% in the third quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 5,533 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $1,270,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, Director Craig Conway sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.61, for a total value of $1,172,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,416,936.57. This represents a 45.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 4,176 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $239.33 per share, with a total value of $999,442.08. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 18,748 shares in the company, valued at $4,486,958.84. This represents a 28.66% 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 Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of CRM stock opened at $228.56 on Friday. Salesforce Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.32 and a 1 year high of $269.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $188.10 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $238.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The CRM provider reported $5.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.27 by $2.63. The company had revenue of $11.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.33 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 24.90% and a net margin of 21.99%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.91 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 16.670-16.710 EPS and its Q3 2027 guidance at 3.420-3.440 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 12.82 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.04%.

Salesforce News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rune Technologies, a defense-technology company. The deal supports Salesforce’s push into military and government applications, potentially expanding its addressable market and adding a specialized technology platform. Financial terms were not disclosed. Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Rune Technologies
• Positive Sentiment: TPM Holdings completed an 18-month realignment centered on Salesforce CRM and artificial intelligence for the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Its combination of TrebleHook and The Hunley Group could expand Salesforce-based implementations and demonstrate growing demand for industry-specific AI tools. TPM Holdings Accelerates Investment in AI and Salesforce CRM
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst and investment articles describe Salesforce as a potential AI rebound candidate, citing autonomous AI agents, improving monetization, strong free cash flow and its leadership in customer relationship management. These views may support longer-term sentiment, although they are not new company guidance. AI Comeback Story Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Salesforce’s earnings report is approaching, making upcoming revenue growth, AI adoption, margins and forward guidance the main near-term catalysts. The company’s latest reported quarter included revenue of $11.35 billion and adjusted earnings that exceeded consensus estimates. Salesforce Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Salesforce declined in sympathy with ServiceNow, Fortinet and other software stocks after investors focused on slower contracted-revenue growth despite earnings beats and higher AI targets. The reaction has renewed concerns about enterprise-software demand, AI monetization timelines and elevated sector valuations. ServiceNow Results Dent Software Stocks

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded Salesforce from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Monday, October 12th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Salesforce in a report on Monday, October 12th. They issued a "sector weight" rating on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Monday, October 12th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.98.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, Inc NYSE: CRM is a global enterprise software company that provides cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) technology. Its platform helps organizations manage sales, customer service, marketing, commerce, data, analytics and interactions with customers across digital and traditional channels.

The company's products include Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Data Cloud. Salesforce also offers Tableau for data visualization and analytics, MuleSoft for application integration, and Slack for workplace collaboration.

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