Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Decreases Stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lessened its holdings in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 144,930 shares of the CRM provider's stock after selling 12,384 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Salesforce were worth $48,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new stake in Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Salesforce Stock Performance

NYSE CRM opened at $268.46 on Thursday. Salesforce, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.00 and a twelve month high of $369.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market cap of $258.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $270.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $307.83.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. This is a boost from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CRM shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Salesforce from $310.00 to $255.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Salesforce from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on Salesforce from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $350.56.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at $15,342,415. The trade was a 11.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.94, for a total value of $167,970.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,202,758.58. The trade was a 7.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,051 shares of company stock valued at $15,027,714. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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