Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Shares Up 4.6% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Salesforce's stock price increased by 4.6% to $254.31, with a trading volume that surpassed the average by 28%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Salesforce, with a consensus of **"Moderate Buy"** and a target price of **$325.23**.
• A quarterly dividend of **$0.416 per share** was recently paid, representing an annual yield of **0.7%** and a payout ratio of **24.13%**.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 4.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $255.40 and last traded at $254.31. 9,934,376 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 28% from the average session volume of 7,790,834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CRM shares. Macquarie reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Salesforce from $275.00 to $265.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Salesforce from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Salesforce from $275.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Salesforce has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $325.23.

Salesforce Stock Up 4.6%

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 company has a market capitalization of $242.10 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $244.38 and a 200 day moving average of $257.79.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.14 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.Salesforce's revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In other news, Director David Blair Kirk acquired 3,400 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $254.66 per share, with a total value of $865,844.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $973,819.84. This trade represents a 801.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.49, for a total value of $543,352.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,876,525,280.79. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 78,750 shares of company stock valued at $19,480,343. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Salesforce

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 30.1% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 27,786 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $7,577,000 after buying an additional 6,430 shares in the last quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 4.6% in the second quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 59,970 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $16,353,000 after buying an additional 2,644 shares in the last quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the first quarter worth $9,367,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 31.2% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 344,887 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $93,016,000 after buying an additional 81,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 6.8% in the second quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 110,968 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $30,260,000 after buying an additional 7,091 shares in the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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