Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) CEO Marc Benioff Sells 2,250 Shares

Key Points

• Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, recently sold 2,250 shares of the company's stock for a total of $551,452.50, resulting in a minor decrease in his overall ownership to 11,911,571 shares valued at approximately $2.92 billion.
• Salesforce reported strong earnings for the recent quarter, with an EPS of $2.91 beating expectations of $2.78 and a revenue of $10.24 billion, a 9.8% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.416 per share, set to be paid on October 9th, reflecting a 0.7% yield and a payout ratio of 24.13%.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.09, for a total transaction of $551,452.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,919,406,936.39. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Marc Benioff also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, September 15th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.39, for a total transaction of $545,377.50.
• On Friday, September 12th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.91, for a total value of $548,797.50.
• On Wednesday, September 10th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.66, for a total value of $554,985.00.
• On Monday, September 8th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.12, for a total value of $565,020.00.
• On Thursday, September 4th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.50, for a total value of $543,375.00.
• On Tuesday, September 2nd, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total value of $566,235.00.
• On Friday, August 29th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.30, for a total transaction of $574,425.00.
• On Wednesday, August 27th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.56, for a total transaction of $559,260.00.
• On Monday, August 25th, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.57, for a total transaction of $557,032.50.
• On Friday, August 22nd, Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.67, for a total transaction of $557,257.50.

Salesforce Price Performance

Salesforce stock traded up $2.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $247.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,772,214 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,963,242. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.22. Salesforce Inc. has a twelve month low of $226.48 and a twelve month high of $369.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $250.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $262.77.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.56 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be given a dividend of $0.416 per share. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce's payout ratio is presently 24.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CRM shares. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.58.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Salesforce

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its holdings in Salesforce by 117.6% in the second quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 63,040 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $17,190,000 after buying an additional 34,068 shares during the period. NWF Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Salesforce by 23.3% in the second quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,540 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Salesforce by 18.4% in the second quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 123,325 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $33,630,000 after purchasing an additional 19,172 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the second quarter worth $115,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.