Salesforce Inc. $CRM Shares Purchased by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,550 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $6,695,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Salesforce by 6.4% in the second quarter. GFS Advisors LLC now owns 1,244 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 8.1% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,980 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $4,903,000 after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares during the period. Van Strum & Towne Inc. increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 0.7% in the second quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 23,100 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $6,299,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 22.1% in the second quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 2,177 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 5.6% in the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,888 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $242.11 on Monday. Salesforce Inc. has a 12 month low of $226.48 and a 12 month high of $369.00. The stock has a market cap of $230.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.19, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $244.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $258.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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 anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th were given a $0.416 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Salesforce’s payout ratio is 24.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on CRM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Twenty-six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.89.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $254.66 per share, for a total transaction of $865,844.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,824 shares in the company, valued at $973,819.84. This represents a 801.89% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.34, for a total transaction of $540,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,862,826,974.14. 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 76,500 shares of company stock worth $19,049,130. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.