Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Shares Up 1.4% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Salesforce shares increased by 1.4%, with the last trading price at $239.01 after reaching a high of $239.40 during the trading session.
• Recent analyst reports show mixed sentiments, with price targets ranging from $250 to $395 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" based on a target price of $332.58.
• The company reported Q3 earnings of $2.91 per share, surpassing estimates and indicating a 9.8% revenue growth year-over-year.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 1.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $239.40 and last traded at $239.01. 7,665,824 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average session volume of 7,619,962 shares. The stock had previously closed at $235.69.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on CRM. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $395.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $370.00 to $315.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Salesforce from $365.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Twenty-six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Salesforce has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.58.

Salesforce Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $247.81 and a 200-day moving average of $260.87. The company has a market cap of $227.53 billion, a PE ratio of 34.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. The firm 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 revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $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. Equities analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be given a $0.416 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.13%.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, Director David Blair Kirk acquired 3,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $254.66 per share, for a total transaction of $865,844.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $973,819.84. This trade represents a 801.89% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.53, for a total transaction of $550,192.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,912,736,456.63. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 78,750 shares of company stock worth $19,825,358 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Salesforce

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Painted Porch Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 260.0% during the 2nd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 90 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 90 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Salesforce by 314.8% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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