Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Stock Price Down 0.4% - Here's Why

Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $356.46 and last traded at $356.46. 1,659,083 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 6,390,628 shares. The stock had previously closed at $358.03.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CRM shares. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Salesforce from $345.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Macquarie initiated coverage on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $370.00 price target on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $377.24.

Salesforce Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $316.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $275.00. The firm has a market cap of $338.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.30.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by ($0.03). Salesforce had a net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $9.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.32%.

Insider Activity

In other Salesforce news, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 413 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.29, for a total transaction of $117,824.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,998,741.74. This represents a 5.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Brian Millham sold 60,522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $18,156,600.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 138,498 shares of company stock valued at $40,983,349 over the last ninety days. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Salesforce

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Veritas Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the third quarter worth about $733,805,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Salesforce by 48.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,906,877 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $1,518,658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,922,674 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 171.2% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,634,834 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $447,470,000 after buying an additional 1,032,068 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Salesforce by 23,664.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,002,848 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $274,490,000 after acquiring an additional 998,628 shares during the period. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Salesforce by 51.0% during the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,946,838 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $757,632,000 after purchasing an additional 994,670 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% 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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