Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Stock Price Down 2.1% After Insider Selling

Key Points

• Salesforce's stock price fell by 2.1% to $244.46 following the sale of shares by CEO Marc Benioff, who sold 2,250 shares at an average price of $248.19.
• Numerous analysts have issued revised ratings on Salesforce, with price targets ranging from $260 to $400, indicating a mixed outlook for the company.
• The firm recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.416, representing a 0.7% yield, with an ex-dividend date of September 17.

Shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) traded down 2.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $244.13 and last traded at $244.46. 7,656,718 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1% from the average session volume of 7,612,422 shares. The stock had previously closed at $249.69.

Specifically, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.19, for a total transaction of $558,427.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,956,332,806.49. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.09, for a total value of $551,452.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,406,936.39. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Salesforce from $365.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Salesforce from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Macquarie reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $290.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Salesforce from $300.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Salesforce presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.58.

Salesforce Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market cap of $232.73 billion, a PE ratio of 35.53, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.22. The stock's 50-day moving average is $250.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.38.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be given a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Salesforce

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 25,668 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $8,582,000 after purchasing an additional 3,102 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,827 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,234 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $747,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at $872,000. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,911 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $639,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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