Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Up 1.1% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Salesforce's stock price increased by 1.1%, trading at $247.04 on Friday with a significant trading volume of over 11.7 million shares, up 55% from its daily average.
• Analyst ratings show a **mixed outlook** for Salesforce, with one Strong Buy, 26 Buy, 10 Hold, and one Sell rating, resulting in an average "Moderate Buy" rating and a consensus target price of $332.58.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of **$0.416 per share**, equating to an annualized dividend yield of 0.7%, with a payout ratio of 24.13%.

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) was up 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $247.20 and last traded at $247.04. Approximately 11,762,255 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 55% from the average daily volume of 7,605,450 shares. The stock had previously closed at $244.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CRM shares. Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Salesforce from $340.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $300.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.58.

Salesforce Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The business's 50-day moving average is $251.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $263.25. The firm has a market cap of $235.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.22.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.56 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, analysts expect that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Blair Kirk bought 3,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $254.66 per share, for a total transaction of $865,844.00. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total transaction of $578,295.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,061,511,978.42. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 75,077 shares of company stock valued at $19,099,953. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 260.0% in the second quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 90 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 450.0% in the first quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 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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