Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Down 2.5% – Here’s What Happened

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) shares fell 2.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $225.06 and last traded at $227.5920. 9,415,260 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the average session volume of 7,714,734 shares. The stock had previously closed at $233.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CRM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $365.00 to $325.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Salesforce from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.51.

Salesforce Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $216.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $245.83 and its 200-day moving average is $256.96.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.The firm had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th were given a dividend of $0.416 per share. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.13%.

Insider Activity at Salesforce

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.39, for a total value of $545,377.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares in the company, valued at $2,887,245,694.69. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 3,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $254.66 per share, with a total value of $865,844.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $973,819.84. This trade represents a 801.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have sold 63,122 shares of company stock worth $15,615,413 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Coign Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Salesforce by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Coign Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,183 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 1.1% during the first quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 3,343 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. KDT Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Money Management lifted its position in Salesforce by 3.6% in the first quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 1,112 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Scott & Selber Inc. lifted its position in Salesforce by 0.7% in the second quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 5,850 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $1,595,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

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.