KBC Group NV Has $284.18 Million Position in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

KBC Group NV cut its position in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 12.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,042,141 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 153,973 shares during the quarter. Salesforce comprises 0.8% of KBC Group NV’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $284,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,039,196,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Salesforce by 1,729.6% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,973,141 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $538,020,000 after buying an additional 1,865,297 shares in the last quarter. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 1st quarter valued at $467,944,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 1,744.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,820,262 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $488,486,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721,550 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Salesforce by 1.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 87,913,628 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $23,592,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383,942 shares during the period. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Performance

CRM stock opened at $244.13 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $246.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $257.99. Salesforce Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $226.48 and a fifty-two week high of $369.00. 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 market capitalization of $232.41 billion, a PE ratio of 35.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.19.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.56 EPS. Salesforce has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.330-11.370 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 2.840-2.860 EPS. Analysts forecast that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th were issued a dividend of $0.416 per share. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce’s payout ratio is currently 24.13%.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.12, for a total value of $565,020.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,911,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,991,233,709.52. 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 this hyperlink. Also, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $254.66 per share, with a total value of $865,844.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $973,819.84. The trade was a 801.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 69,872 shares of company stock worth $17,257,913. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CRM shares. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $395.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Salesforce from $350.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Salesforce from $404.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Salesforce currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $325.23.

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.