Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Stock Price Up 1.9% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Salesforce's share price increased by 1.9%, trading at $244.92, with a total of approximately 7.9 million shares exchanged.
• Analysts have mixed views, with target price adjustments ranging from $221.00 to $400.00, while the stock holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $331.89.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with $2.91 EPS and revenue of $10.24 billion, showing a 9.8% year-over-year growth.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 1.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $245.96 and last traded at $244.92. Approximately 7,885,709 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 7,654,189 shares. The stock had previously closed at $240.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $440.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $255.00 to $221.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, September 4th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $300.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Twenty-six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.89.

Salesforce Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average is $244.86 and its 200-day moving average is $259.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $233.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.19.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. Analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.42, for a total value of $567,945.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at $3,006,718,751.82. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Blair Kirk bought 3,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $254.66 per share, with a total value of $865,844.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $20,219,063. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Salesforce

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Coign Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 1.7% during the first quarter. Coign Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $586,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Salesforce by 1.1% during the first quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 3,343 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. KDT Advisors LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 4.1% during the first quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 967 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 1.2% during the first quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 3,165 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in Salesforce by 7.3% during the first quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 572 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

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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