Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Arete Research

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) was upgraded by investment analysts at Arete Research to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on CRM. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $315.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 1st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $316.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $326.46.

Salesforce Price Performance

Shares of CRM opened at $262.34 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $245.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $252.26. The company has a market capitalization of $245.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. Salesforce has a fifty-two week low of $221.96 and a fifty-two week high of $367.09.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.39. Salesforce had a return on equity of 14.41% and a net margin of 17.91%.The business had revenue of $10.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Research analysts predict that Salesforce will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, insider Parker Harris sold 134,662 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.70, for a total transaction of $31,605,171.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 139,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,803,314.90. The trade was a 49.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.60, for a total value of $548,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,901,658,695.60. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 177,534 shares of company stock valued at $42,194,197. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRM. KDT Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 4.1% during the first quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 967 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. lifted its stake in Salesforce by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 5,850 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $1,595,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its holdings in Salesforce by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 607 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,716 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aspire Growth Partners LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aspire Growth Partners LLC now owns 3,355 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in 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.