Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM – Free Report) by 32.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 51,715 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,642 shares during the quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Salesforce were worth $13,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Salesforce by 285.7% in the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX acquired a new position in Salesforce in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Salesforce Trading Down 0.3%
Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $179.51 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $181.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Salesforce Inc. has a one year low of $163.52 and a one year high of $278.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.14.
Salesforce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Monday, March 16th that permits the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the CRM provider to purchase up to 14.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Key Salesforce News
Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Jefferies expects an in-line Q1 and sees second-half growth as the key catalyst, pointing to partner survey data showing many customers finished the quarter on plan or above it, along with projected revenue growth of 12.5% and current remaining performance obligations growth of 14%. Salesforce earnings preview: Jefferies eyes in-line Q1, second-half growth key
- Positive Sentiment: Some bullish commentary argues Salesforce is undervalued and highlights strong margins, free cash flow, and accelerating AI monetization through Agentforce, which could support sentiment if management shows progress on earnings day. Salesforce: The Most Undervalued Stock In The Software Space
- Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its buy rating and set a $255 price target, signaling Wall Street still sees meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga report on BTIG rating
- Neutral Sentiment: Several previews frame upcoming earnings as a key test for Salesforce’s AI narrative, with investors waiting to see whether Agentforce can meaningfully improve bookings and subscription growth. Agentforce to Boost Salesforce’s Subscription Revenue Growth in Q1
- Negative Sentiment: Bank of America downgraded Salesforce to Underperform, warning that AI may become a bigger risk for the company than a growth engine if monetization lags. ServiceNow Vs Salesforce: BofA Reveals Why AI Is ‘Growth Engine’ For One And ‘Major Risk’ For The Other
- Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes that Salesforce shares have fallen sharply year to date, reflecting investor concern that the company has to deliver a stronger earnings and AI update to reverse the trend. Salesforce (CRM) Earnings Preview: Q1 Results Expected Wednesday Amid 32% YTD Decline
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Salesforce from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.12.
View Our Latest Report on Salesforce
Insider Transactions at Salesforce
In other news, Director David Blair Kirk bought 2,570 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $194.62 per share, with a total value of $500,173.40. Following the acquisition, the director owned 13,689 shares in the company, valued at $2,664,153.18. This trade represents a 23.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Laura Alber bought 2,571 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $194.58 per share, for a total transaction of $500,265.18. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 9,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,347.40. This trade represents a 36.94% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Salesforce 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.
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