Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given Salesforce Inc. a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy," with a one-year price target averaging $332.58.
• Salesforce reported a quarterly EPS of $2.91, surpassing analysts' expectations, along with a revenue increase of 9.8% year-over-year to $10.24 billion.
• The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.416 per share, scheduled for October 9th, representing an annualized yield of 0.7%.

Shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-eight analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-six have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $332.5833.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $375.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $370.00 to $315.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Salesforce from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Salesforce from $404.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Salesforce from $400.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 3,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $254.66 per share, for a total transaction of $865,844.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $973,819.84. The trade was a 801.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.11, for a total value of $605,497.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at $3,205,522,871.81. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 78,750 shares of company stock worth $19,889,213. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Salesforce

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRM. Painted Porch Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Salesforce by 260.0% during the second quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 90 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Salesforce during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 450.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 314.8% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $244.95 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $248.98 and its 200 day moving average is $261.22. Salesforce has a 12-month low of $226.48 and a 12-month high of $369.00. The stock has a market cap of $233.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.60, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

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

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.416 per share. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.13%.

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.

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