Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Shares Sold by Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lessened its position in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,222,913 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 35,400 shares during the quarter. Salesforce makes up 2.4% of Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $743,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, Director Oscar Munoz bought 3,882 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $257.28 per share, with a total value of $998,760.96. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 11,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,046,967.04. This represents a 48.76 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.88, for a total value of $2,052,183.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,128,626.68. This represents a 11.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,660 shares of company stock worth $14,095,336. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CRM shares. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Salesforce from $415.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. TD Cowen raised Salesforce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $380.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $247.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and five have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $361.42.

Salesforce Trading Down 5.9 %

CRM opened at $240.26 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $302.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Salesforce, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.00 and a 12 month high of $369.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.52, a PEG 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.70%. Salesforce’s payout ratio is currently 26.10%.

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.