Hyperion Asset Management Ltd Boosts Holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Hyperion Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 134,206 shares of the CRM provider's stock after buying an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Salesforce comprises approximately 1.5% of Hyperion Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Salesforce were worth $44,869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 19,955,353 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $6,656,078,000 after buying an additional 175,035 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 12,453,872 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $4,163,703,000 after purchasing an additional 177,321 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 11,224,927 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $3,752,830,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,667 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Salesforce during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,599,867,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Salesforce by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,938,536 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,988,422,000 after buying an additional 1,683,233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.18, for a total value 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. The trade was a 11.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider R David Schmaier sold 6,959 shares of Salesforce 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 $9,141,957.90. This trade represents a 16.17% 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. Insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens began coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Salesforce from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Salesforce from $310.00 to $255.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Westpark Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, thirty-two have assigned a buy rating and five have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $350.56.

Salesforce Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:CRM traded up $2.78 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $291.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,220,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,823,071. Salesforce, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.00 and a 1 year high of $369.00. The company has a market cap of $280.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $267.27 and a 200 day moving average of $307.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a boost 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 (DPR) is presently 26.10%.

Salesforce Company 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.