Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Down 0.1%

Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 0.1% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $273.32 and last traded at $274.15. 712,215 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 5,599,523 shares. The stock had previously closed at $274.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on CRM. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Salesforce from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $310.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Salesforce from $260.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $310.61.

Salesforce Stock Up 0.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $267.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.27, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average of $295.97 and a 200-day moving average of $264.71.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The CRM provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.06. Salesforce had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 11.87%. The business had revenue of $9.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.45 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.52%.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.07, for a total value of $4,126,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,752,327 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,507,782,587.89. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Salesforce news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.07, for a total value of $4,126,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,752,327 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,507,782,587.89. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Srinivas Tallapragada sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.20, for a total transaction of $2,852,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 60,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,230,643.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 610,793 shares of company stock valued at $179,197,018. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Salesforce

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. bought a new position in Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new position in Salesforce during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.