Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 1,174,436 Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,174,436 shares of the CRM provider's stock, valued at approximately $392,649,000. Salesforce accounts for approximately 0.8% of Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.12% of Salesforce as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CRM. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Salesforce by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 36,473 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $12,194,000 after purchasing an additional 4,752 shares in the last quarter. Athena Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at $236,000. Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth about $4,321,000. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Salesforce by 2,507.9% during the fourth quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 23,706 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $7,926,000 after purchasing an additional 22,797 shares during the period. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $2,861,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Salesforce Stock Up 1.4%

CRM traded up $3.80 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $276.93. 10,944,663 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,935,640. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $268.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $306.20. Salesforce, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.00 and a twelve month high of $369.00. The stock has a market cap of $266.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.42.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This is an increase from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, insider Miguel Milano sold 705 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.44, for a total transaction of $197,005.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,605,219.12. The trade was a 7.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.00, for a total transaction of $1,872,521.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at $14,071,750. The trade was a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 46,553 shares of company stock worth $12,897,323. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on CRM. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $405.00 to $393.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Salesforce from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and five have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Salesforce presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $349.87.

Salesforce 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.