Salesforce Inc. $CRM Stock Holdings Lifted by Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec

Key Points

• Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its stake in Salesforce Inc. by 18.8% in Q1, owning approximately 0.09% of the company worth $242.6 million.
• Salesforce's recent quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $2.58 EPS and $9.83 billion in revenue, reflecting a 7.6% year-over-year revenue growth.
• CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares valued at $578,295, decreasing his ownership by 0.02% while still holding over 11.9 million shares valued at over $3 billion.

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 904,129 shares of the CRM provider's stock after buying an additional 143,265 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned approximately 0.09% of Salesforce worth $242,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Salesforce by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 87,913,628 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $23,592,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383,942 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Salesforce by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 11,224,927 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $3,752,830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,667 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Salesforce by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,014,148 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,419,037,000 after purchasing an additional 437,435 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,658,132 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,894,673,000 after purchasing an additional 602,445 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 8,598,989 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,874,900,000 after purchasing an additional 114,278 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total value of $578,295.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,061,511,978.42. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 52,577 shares of company stock worth $13,528,188 over the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Salesforce Stock Up 0.9%

CRM stock opened at $248.0150 on Monday. 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 52-week low of $226.48 and a 52-week high of $369.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $258.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.51. 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 2.25 and a beta of 1.37.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $9.83 billion during 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $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, equities research analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on CRM shares. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $311.00 to $309.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a report on Monday, August 18th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Salesforce from $300.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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