Salesforce Inc. $CRM Stock Sold by Lazari Capital Management Inc.

Lazari Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 59.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,886 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 2,823 shares during the period. Lazari Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Salesforce during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Salesforce during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Costello Asset Management INC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 410.3% during the first quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 148 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gables Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Salesforce during the second quarter worth about $28,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Performance

Salesforce stock traded up $0.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $242.84. The stock had a trading volume of 3,949,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,469,401. Salesforce Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.32 and a 12 month high of $269.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $232.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.86 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The CRM provider reported $5.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $2.63. The business had revenue of $11.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.33 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 24.90%. The company’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.91 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 16.670-16.710 EPS and its Q3 2027 guidance at 3.420-3.440 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 12.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 17th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In related news, Director Craig Conway sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.61, for a total transaction of $1,172,745.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,416,936.57. The trade was a 45.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Blair Kirk acquired 4,176 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $239.33 per share, for a total transaction of $999,442.08. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 18,748 shares in the company, valued at $4,486,958.84. This trade represents a 28.66% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Salesforce

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Salesforce will pay $47.50 per Braze share, a premium of approximately 58%, adding a customer-engagement platform that uses real-time customer behavior data. The transaction could strengthen Salesforce’s marketing capabilities, broaden its AI product portfolio and create cross-selling opportunities across its enterprise customer base. Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Braze
• Positive Sentiment: Braze’s acquisition puts the value of customer-engagement and marketing software in focus, lifting sentiment toward the broader sector. For Salesforce, the deal supports its effort to make AI more useful by combining customer data, marketing automation and its CRM platform. Braze rallies as Salesforce acquisition puts marketing software in focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Salesforce’s Informatica acquisition continues to be viewed as a potential data advantage that could improve its AI offerings and generate additional revenue. Investors are likely to focus on whether these data and software investments translate into faster, more sustainable growth. Informatica Boosts Salesforce’s Data Edge
• Negative Sentiment: The all-cash Braze transaction is pressuring Salesforce shares because investors are questioning whether the premium is justified and whether management can integrate another major platform while maintaining growth and margins. The acquisition also increases near-term capital-allocation and execution risk. Salesforce stock falls as Braze deal raises acquisition concerns

About Salesforce

Salesforce, Inc (NYSE: CRM) is a global enterprise software company that provides cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) technology. Its platform helps organizations manage sales, customer service, marketing, commerce, data, analytics and interactions with customers across digital and traditional channels.

The company’s products include Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Data Cloud. Salesforce also offers Tableau for data visualization and analytics, MuleSoft for application integration, and Slack for workplace collaboration.