Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $332.5833.

CRM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Salesforce from $335.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. UBS Group lowered 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. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $404.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $311.00 to $309.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.12, for a total transaction of $565,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,991,233,709.52. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 68,327 shares of company stock worth $17,450,793. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Painted Porch Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Salesforce by 260.0% in the 2nd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 90 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Salesforce in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 450.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 314.8% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Performance

CRM stock opened at $252.12 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $254.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $265.82. The company has a market capitalization of $240.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.65, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Salesforce has a fifty-two week low of $226.48 and a fifty-two week high of $369.00.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.56 EPS. Salesforce’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Salesforce will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be given a $0.416 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Salesforce’s payout ratio is 24.13%.

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.