6,772 Shares in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Purchased by BankPlus Trust Department

BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,772 shares of the CRM provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,264,000. Salesforce accounts for approximately 0.7% of BankPlus Trust Department’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CRM. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% during the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Salesforce during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Price Performance

NYSE CRM opened at $309.54 on Monday. Salesforce, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.00 and a 52-week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $296.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $333.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.18.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($0.03). Salesforce had a net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $9.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. Salesforce’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CRM. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $415.00 target price (up from $385.00) on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Salesforce from $425.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group raised their price target on Salesforce from $275.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $390.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, thirty-two have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $375.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, Director G Mason Morfit sold 722,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.11, for a total value of $249,995,253.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,192,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,104,786,234.99. This represents a 18.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.18, for a total value of $2,041,607.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at $15,342,415. The trade was a 11.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,102,114 shares of company stock valued at $381,142,656 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce 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.