Francis Financial Inc. Invests $346,000 in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Francis Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,036 shares of the CRM provider’s stock, valued at approximately $346,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 85.1% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on CRM. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Salesforce from $430.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $405.00 to $393.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirty-two have assigned a buy rating and five have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.56.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In related news, insider R David Schmaier sold 6,959 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.31, for a total transaction of $1,762,784.29. Following the sale, the insider now owns 36,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,141,957.90. This represents a 16.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 500 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $137,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,220,525. This represents a 4.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,830 shares of company stock valued at $12,907,361. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Salesforce Price Performance

Salesforce stock opened at $275.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $264.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.29, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Salesforce, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.00 and a 12 month high of $369.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $267.33 and its 200-day moving average is $307.06.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a boost from Salesforce’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.10%.

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.