Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Purchases 712 Shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 0.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 83,429 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after buying an additional 712 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $21,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CRM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Salesforce by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 84,635,254 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $25,490,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008,841 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 19,561,325 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $5,147,402,000 after buying an additional 457,463 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Salesforce by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 14,905,462 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $3,922,223,000 after buying an additional 736,986 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Salesforce by 26.9% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 14,376,536 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $4,329,925,000 after buying an additional 3,044,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Salesforce by 3.0% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,116,449 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $4,251,592,000 after acquiring an additional 407,834 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Price Performance

CRM stock opened at $248.06 on Wednesday. Salesforce, Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.68 and a 52 week high of $318.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $240.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $254.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $270.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The CRM provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.20. Salesforce had a net margin of 15.44% and a return on equity of 12.01%. The firm had revenue of $9.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 9th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 9th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Salesforce news, insider Parker Harris sold 4,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.90, for a total value of $1,104,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 117,581 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,912,044.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Craig Conway sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.64, for a total value of $1,437,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,855 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,642,732.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 4,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.90, for a total value of $1,104,180.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 117,581 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,912,044.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 95,164 shares of company stock valued at $23,760,225 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on CRM. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Salesforce from $265.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Salesforce from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $304.41.

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.