Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Up 3.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) rose 3.1% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $234.63 and last traded at $233.7490. Approximately 9,656,058 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 25% from the average daily volume of 7,726,506 shares. The stock had previously closed at $226.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Salesforce from $255.00 to $221.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Salesforce from $365.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Northland Capmk downgraded Salesforce from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.86.

Salesforce Stock Down 2.5%

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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $244.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $255.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $217.31 billion, a PE ratio of 33.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.19.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.56 EPS. 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 research analysts forecast that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS 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 issued a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is 24.13%.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In related news, 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 purchased at an average cost of $254.66 per share, with a total value of $865,844.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $973,819.84. The trade was a 801.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.85, for a total value of $553,162.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,928,459,730.35. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 56,372 shares of company stock valued at $13,941,863 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Salesforce

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Painted Porch Advisors LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Salesforce during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 314.8% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.