Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $193.11 and last traded at $196.1260, with a volume of 20176845 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $210.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRM has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Salesforce in a research note on Monday, January 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $330.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Salesforce from $325.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho set a $340.00 price objective on Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.57.

Salesforce Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $179.42 billion, a PE ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $244.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.39. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 14.41%. The business had revenue of $10.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.41 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.416 per share. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 18th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Salesforce news, Director David Blair Kirk acquired 1,936 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.64 per share, with a total value of $500,727.04. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 10,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,761,499.28. This trade represents a 22.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Neelie Kroes sold 3,893 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.70, for a total value of $929,259.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,271.30. This trade represents a 34.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRM. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Salesforce during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Company Profile

Salesforce, founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Francisco, is a global provider of cloud-based software focused on customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise applications. The company popularized the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for CRM and has built a broad portfolio of products designed to help organizations manage sales, service, marketing, commerce and analytics through a unified, cloud-first platform.

Core offerings include Sales Cloud for sales automation, Service Cloud for customer support, Marketing Cloud for digital marketing and engagement, and Commerce Cloud for e-commerce.