Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Down 1.2% - Should You Sell?

Shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) dropped 1.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $322.33 and last traded at $323.13. Approximately 1,701,442 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 6,245,388 shares. The stock had previously closed at $327.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Northland Securities reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $440.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $377.63.

Salesforce Trading Down 1.3 %

The business's 50-day moving average is $337.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $302.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $311.49 billion, a PE ratio of 53.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.31.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.03). Salesforce had a net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The firm had revenue of $9.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.32%.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, insider Miguel Milano sold 719 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.81, for a total transaction of $246,480.39. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,597,151.79. The trade was a 13.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 942 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $339.78, for a total transaction of $320,072.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 120,333 shares in the company, valued at $40,886,746.74. The trade was a 0.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,111,420 shares of company stock worth $384,366,700 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Salesforce by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 36,473 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $12,194,000 after acquiring an additional 4,752 shares during the last quarter. Nabity Jensen Investment Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,215,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Salesforce by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 58,036 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $15,885,000 after buying an additional 6,938 shares in the last quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Salesforce by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 13,258 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $3,629,000 after buying an additional 1,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AIA Group Ltd increased its position in Salesforce by 8.9% during the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 24,028 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $6,577,000 after buying an additional 1,962 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company's stock.

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.