Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Stock Price Up 0.5% - Should You Buy?

Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) shares traded up 0.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $256.23 and last traded at $255.93. 1,265,192 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 6,799,350 shares. The stock had previously closed at $254.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on CRM. TD Cowen raised Salesforce from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $380.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $345.00 to $310.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $247.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirty have assigned 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 an average target price of $360.32.

Salesforce Stock Down 1.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market cap of $237.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.38. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $281.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $309.39.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a boost from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 436 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.28, for a total transaction of $144,874.08. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,057 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,899.96. The trade was a 5.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Miguel Milano sold 458 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.97, for a total transaction of $141,050.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,864 shares in the company, valued at $1,805,936.08. This trade represents a 7.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,654 shares of company stock worth $14,124,094 over the last 90 days. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in Salesforce by 85.1% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company's stock.

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.