Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Makes New $4.72 Million Investment in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 14,112 shares of the CRM provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,718,000. Salesforce accounts for about 0.6% of Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% in the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $289.18 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $267.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.23. Salesforce, Inc. has a one year low of $212.00 and a one year high of $369.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.01 billion, a PE ratio of 47.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.42.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Salesforce’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.10%.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.18, for a total value of $2,041,607.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,342,415. This trade represents a 11.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider R David Schmaier sold 6,959 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.31, for a total value of $1,762,784.29. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 36,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,141,957.90. This trade represents a 16.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,830 shares of company stock valued at $12,907,361. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on CRM. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Salesforce from $430.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. DA Davidson reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Monday, April 21st. Loop Capital cut their target price on Salesforce from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Salesforce from $400.00 to $345.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, thirty-two have issued a buy rating and five have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.56.

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.