Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. Boosts Stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. raised its stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,311 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares during the quarter. Salesforce makes up 1.3% of Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $17,823,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Clear Investment Research LLC boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 816.7% in the second quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 300.0% in the third quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 120 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Annapolis Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Salesforce by 135.6% in the third quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLC now owns 139 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider R David Schmaier sold 1,785 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $344.00, for a total transaction of $614,040.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,116 shares in the company, valued at $6,575,904. This represents a 8.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.87, for a total value of $1,217,454.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 118,514 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,353,653.18. This trade represents a 3.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,186,017 shares of company stock valued at $405,971,793 over the last three months. 3.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Salesforce Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CRM traded down $0.92 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $331.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,176,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,595,569. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.60, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $332.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.81. Salesforce, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.00 and a fifty-two week high of $369.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.35 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 18th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on CRM. Loop Capital increased their price target on Salesforce from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Salesforce from $385.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Salesforce from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Salesforce from $390.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirty have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Salesforce currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.39.

Salesforce 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.