Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Shares Purchased by Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 0.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 91,754 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $23,591,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CRM. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Salesforce by 76.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 13,708,615 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $3,607,493,000 after buying an additional 5,935,973 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 26.9% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,376,536 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $4,329,925,000 after purchasing an additional 3,044,611 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the first quarter valued at approximately $910,220,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 1st quarter worth approximately $874,748,000. Finally, Coatue Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $564,188,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Salesforce from $234.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Salesforce from $345.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $345.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Phillip Securities reissued an “accumulate” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $355.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Salesforce presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Oscar Munoz acquired 2,051 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $243.69 per share, with a total value of $499,808.19. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,712,165.94. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Salesforce news, Director Oscar Munoz bought 2,051 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $243.69 per share, for a total transaction of $499,808.19. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,026 shares in the company, valued at $1,712,165.94. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 413 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.78, for a total transaction of $105,637.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 6,431 shares in the company, valued at $1,644,921.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 62,376 shares of company stock worth $15,878,005. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Salesforce Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of CRM opened at $254.57 on Monday. Salesforce, Inc. has a one year low of $193.68 and a one year high of $318.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $253.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $267.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $246.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.29.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The CRM provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $9.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.22 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 12.01% and a net margin of 15.44%. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 18th. Salesforce’s payout ratio is currently 28.78%.

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.