Plato Investment Management Ltd Trims Stake in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Plato Investment Management Ltd cut its holdings in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 12.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,833 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 3,893 shares during the quarter. Salesforce makes up about 0.6% of Plato Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $7,279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 450.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 110 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 314.8% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in Salesforce during the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,991,233,709.52. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,327 shares of company stock worth $17,450,793. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Salesforce Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of CRM opened at $252.12 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $254.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.82. 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 company has a market capitalization of $240.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.65, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.22. Salesforce Inc. has a 52 week low of $226.48 and a 52 week high of $369.00.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.13. Salesforce had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 16.87%.The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.56 EPS. Salesforce’s quarterly 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be issued a $0.416 dividend. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. Salesforce’s payout ratio is presently 24.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Northland Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $423.00 to $396.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Salesforce from $380.00 to $365.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $440.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $347.00 to $316.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.58.

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.