Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Acquires 2,348 Shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 222,306 shares of the CRM provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares during the quarter. Salesforce comprises 0.8% of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Salesforce were worth $74,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Invst LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 17,003 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $4,654,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the period. Passumpsic Savings Bank lifted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 1.2% in the third quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank now owns 7,332 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $2,007,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 15.7% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 4,290 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $1,174,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 14.0% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 7,047 shares of the CRM provider's stock valued at $1,930,000 after buying an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 570.4% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 54,446 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $14,903,000 after acquiring an additional 46,324 shares during the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Salesforce Stock Up 2.9 %

CRM stock opened at $250.57 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average is $276.19 and its 200 day moving average is $308.58. The stock has a market cap of $240.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.38. 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 1-year low of $212.00 and a 1-year high of $369.00.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.67%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $400.00 to $345.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Salesforce from $405.00 to $393.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Salesforce from $310.00 to $255.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $440.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and five have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $355.19.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, insider R David Schmaier sold 6,959 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.31, for a total value of $1,762,784.29. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 36,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,141,957.90. The trade was a 16.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.94, for a total transaction of $167,970.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,557 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,202,758.58. The trade was a 7.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 44,961 shares of company stock valued at $13,229,264. Insiders own 3.20% 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.

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