Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Shares Down 3.3% Following Insider Selling

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) shares traded down 3.3% during trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $235.81 and last traded at $236.92. 10,767,081 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 42% from the average session volume of 7,606,622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $245.10.

Specifically, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.53, for a total value of $550,192.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,912,736,456.63. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.91, for a total transaction of $546,547.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,893,439,711.61. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,928,459,730.35. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $335.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $430.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Salesforce from $255.00 to $221.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Salesforce from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Salesforce from $300.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.58.

Salesforce Trading Down 3.3%

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $248.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $261.05. 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 company has a market capitalization of $225.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.22.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.416 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Salesforce by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 25,668 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $8,582,000 after buying an additional 3,102 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,827 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,234 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 17.3% during the first quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 2,397 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Salesforce by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 44,283 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $11,884,000 after buying an additional 1,466 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

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.