Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Shares Up 3.9% Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s stock price traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $248.97 and last traded at $247.92. 19,926,160 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 156% from the average session volume of 7,784,122 shares. The stock had previously closed at $238.72.

The CRM provider reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $10.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.27 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 16.87% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Salesforce from $325.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Salesforce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Salesforce from $440.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday. Twenty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $326.27.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.00, for a total value of $31,598.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,085,096,889. The trade was a 0.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 134,662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.70, for a total value of $31,605,171.40. Following the sale, the insider owned 139,767 shares in the company, valued at $32,803,314.90. This trade represents a 49.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 184,284 shares of company stock valued at $43,862,999 over the last ninety days. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Salesforce by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 25,668 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $8,582,000 after purchasing an additional 3,102 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,827 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $611,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,234 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $747,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. Advyzon Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Salesforce by 27.2% in the first quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 1,197 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its position in Salesforce by 5.4% during the first quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 8,324 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $2,234,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $236.02 billion, a PE ratio of 36.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $242.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $253.10.

About Salesforce

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.