Francis Financial Inc. Acquires Shares of 1,036 Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Francis Financial Inc. bought a new position in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,036 shares of the CRM provider's stock, valued at approximately $346,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CRM. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in Salesforce by 85.1% in the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRM shares. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Guggenheim raised shares of Salesforce from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Salesforce from $310.00 to $255.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirty-two have given a buy rating and five have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $350.56.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, insider R David Schmaier sold 6,959 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.31, for a total transaction of $1,762,784.29. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 36,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,141,957.90. This represents a 16.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.18, for a total transaction of $2,041,607.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,342,415. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,830 shares of company stock worth $12,907,361. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Salesforce Trading Up 0.1%

Salesforce stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $289.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,660,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,843,761. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.42. The stock's fifty day moving average is $267.27 and its 200 day moving average is $307.35. Salesforce, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.00 and a 1-year high of $369.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The firm 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 a positive change from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.10%.

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.