B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Trims Stock Position in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 13.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 128,085 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 20,332 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $42,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CRM. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in Salesforce by 85.1% in the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Salesforce during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In other news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.88, for a total transaction of $2,052,183.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,128,626.68. The trade was a 11.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Brian Millham sold 3,937 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.58, for a total transaction of $1,120,391.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 5,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,570,312.44. This trade represents a 41.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,660 shares of company stock worth $14,095,336 in the last quarter. 3.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on CRM. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $440.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $330.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and five have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $362.74.

Salesforce Trading Down 2.8 %

NYSE CRM opened at $270.04 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $309.39 and a 200-day moving average of $311.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Salesforce, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.00 and a 12 month high of $369.00. The company has a market cap of $259.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.35.

Salesforce Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. This is an increase from Salesforce’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.10%.

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.