Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Shares Acquired by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 20.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 925,791 shares of the CRM provider's stock after acquiring an additional 156,936 shares during the quarter. Salesforce accounts for about 1.5% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Salesforce worth $309,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CRM. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Salesforce Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Salesforce stock opened at $246.93 on Friday. 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $281.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.39. The company has a market cap of $237.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.38.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is an increase from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Salesforce's payout ratio is presently 26.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRM has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $405.00 to $393.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America cut their price target on Salesforce from $440.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $400.00 to $345.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and five have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $360.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In related news, insider Parker Harris sold 652 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.28, for a total transaction of $216,646.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 121,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,361,054.76. This trade represents a 0.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 436 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.28, for a total value of $144,874.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,057 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,899.96. This trade represents a 5.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 47,654 shares of company stock worth $14,124,094. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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