Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Down 1% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares slipped ~1%, trading as low as $223.30 and last at $225.53 on midday volume (~7.49M) slightly below average, with the stock sitting well under its 50‑day ($245.53) and 200‑day ($256.75) moving averages.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive: the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $323.51 (25 Buys, 13 Holds, 1 Sell) and price targets ranging roughly from $221 to $430.
• Salesforce recently beat estimates—Q EPS $2.91 vs. $2.78 and revenue $10.24B vs. $10.14B—gave FY‑2026 EPS guidance of 11.33–11.37 (Q3: 2.84–2.86), and pays a $0.416 quarterly dividend (annual yield ~0.7%).

Shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) were down 1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $223.30 and last traded at $225.53. Approximately 7,491,260 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 7,715,083 shares. The stock had previously closed at $227.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on Salesforce from $325.00 to $305.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $255.00 to $221.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $430.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.51.

Salesforce Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $214.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.19. 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's 50-day moving average is $245.53 and its 200-day moving average is $256.75.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $10.24 billion for 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%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. Equities research analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Salesforce news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 122 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.00, for a total value of $31,598.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,085,096,889. The trade was a 0.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 63,122 shares of company stock worth $15,615,413. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Salesforce by 159.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,325,206 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $4,106,255,000 after buying an additional 10,636,161 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,826,049,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,039,196,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 27,361.5% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,424,169 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $933,737,000 after acquiring an additional 3,411,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the third quarter valued at about $484,852,000. 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.

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