B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Adjusts Its Salesforce Shares

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG has reduced its stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, based on a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Following this adjustment, the fund now owns 128,085 shares of Salesforce after selling 20,332 shares during this period. The value of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's investment in Salesforce amounted to approximately $42,829,000 at the close of the last reporting period.

Additionally, several other hedge funds have changed their positions in Salesforce. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Salesforce by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, owning 36,473 shares valued at $12,194,000 after acquiring an extra 4,752 shares during this time. Nabity Jensen Investment Management Inc made a new investment in Salesforce during the third quarter, valued at around $1,215,000. Athena Investment Management and Highland Capital Management LLC also established new positions in Salesforce, worth approximately $236,000 and $4,321,000, respectively, in the fourth quarter. Moreover, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake by 1.3% during the third quarter, owning 19,780,318 shares valued at $5,395,132,000 after adding 257,501 shares in the last quarter. Currently, institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 80.43% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings and Forecasts

Salesforce has captured the attention of Wall Street analysts, with several recent research notes issued regarding its stock. In a report released on December 4th, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its target price for Salesforce from $340.00 to $380.00 and assigned it an "overweight" rating. Conversely, Loop Capital lowered its price objective for Salesforce from $330.00 to $300.00, maintaining a "hold" rating. Meanwhile, Royal Bank of Canada increased its target price from $300.00 to $420.00 and categorized the stock as "outperform". Morgan Stanley matched Royal Bank's actions by boosting its price target from $330.00 to $405.00 with an "overweight" rating. Additionally, on January 17th, TD Cowen upgraded Salesforce from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, elevating its price target from $380.00 to $400.00. Overall, while one analyst has issued a sell rating, five have suggested hold recommendations, thirty-one analysts have issued buy ratings, and five have indicated strong buy ratings for the stock, resulting in a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $362.74 according to MarketBeat.com data.

Insider Trading Activities

In recent insider activity, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 436 shares of Salesforce on January 23rd at an average price of $332.28, a transaction valued at $144,874.08. After this sale, Reddy’s direct ownership of the company’s stock consists of 7,057 shares valued at approximately $2,344,899.96, reflecting a 5.82% decrease in their position. Similarly, insider Miguel Milano sold 458 shares on February 24th, receiving $141,050.26 from this transaction at an average price of $307.97. Following this sale, Milano now owns 5,864 shares of Salesforce, valued at $1,805,936.08, indicating a 7.24% reduction in ownership. Over the recent quarter, insiders sold a total of 45,660 shares worth $14,095,336, with insiders currently holding 3.20% of the stock.

Salesforce Stock Performance

Salesforce shares saw a decline of 2.8% recently, opening at $270.04 on Monday. The company reports a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11, and a current ratio of 1.11. Salesforce recorded a low of $212.00 and a high of $369.00 over the past year, showcasing a market capitalization of $259.51 billion. The stock has a P/E ratio of 44.42, a PEG ratio of 2.58, and a beta of 1.35. Its 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages stand at $309.39 and $311.57, respectively.

Increased Dividend Announced by Salesforce

Salesforce recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend, which is scheduled to be paid on April 24th. Shareholders on record as of April 10th will receive a dividend of $0.42 per share, up from the previous dividend of $0.40. This marks an annualized dividend of $1.68, resulting in a yield of 0.62%. The company's current dividend payout ratio stands at 26.10%.

Overview of Salesforce, Inc.

Salesforce, Inc. specializes in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology, helping businesses manage their interactions with customers globally. Its suite of services includes sales management, data storage, progress tracking, opportunity forecasting, analytics-driven insights, and personalized customer support at scale.

Salesforce, Investment, Stocks