1,174,436 Shares in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Purchased by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,174,436 shares of the CRM provider's stock, valued at approximately $392,649,000. Salesforce accounts for 0.8% of Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Salesforce as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth $3,599,867,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 926.4% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,256,211 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $1,422,979,000 after purchasing an additional 3,841,521 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,173,564,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Salesforce by 42.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,791,015 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $2,604,770,000 after buying an additional 2,325,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Salesforce by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 11,224,927 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $3,752,830,000 after buying an additional 1,736,667 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Salesforce Trading Down 5.0%

NYSE CRM traded down $13.90 on Thursday, reaching $262.13. The company had a trading volume of 18,963,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,998,623. The firm has a market cap of $252.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Salesforce, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.00 and a fifty-two week high of $369.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $268.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $305.79.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The business had revenue of $9.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.74 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.44 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.42 dividend. This is a boost from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on Salesforce from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Salesforce from $425.00 to $347.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and five have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $342.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Salesforce news, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 500 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $137,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,220,525. The trade was a 4.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.00, for a total value of $1,872,521.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,071,750. This represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 46,553 shares of company stock valued at $12,897,323. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

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.