Nuveen LLC Makes New Investment in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,598,732 shares of the CRM provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,039,196,000. Salesforce comprises approximately 0.6% of Nuveen LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Nuveen LLC owned 0.79% of Salesforce at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• Salesforce Stock Set for 30% Upside to Reach New Highs

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CRM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Salesforce by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 25,668 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $8,582,000 after acquiring an additional 3,102 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Salesforce by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,827 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Salesforce by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 4,389 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $1,467,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. NFP Retirement Inc. increased its stake in Salesforce by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. NFP Retirement Inc. now owns 1,111 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crux Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth about $1,378,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:CRM opened at $240.09 on Friday. Salesforce Inc. has a 52-week low of $230.00 and a 52-week high of $369.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $263.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $279.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

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Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 28th. The CRM provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.03. Salesforce had a return on equity of 12.94% and a net margin of 16.08%. The company had revenue of $9.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.44 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th were given a dividend of $0.416 per share. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 18th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

• 3 Cloud Software Leaders Positioned for AI Upside

In related news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.67, for a total transaction of $584,257.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,955,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,104,501,823.22. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Srinivas Tallapragada sold 6,697 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.00, for a total value of $1,975,615.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,219,490. This trade represents a 13.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,479 shares of company stock valued at $12,457,591. 3.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CRM. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Salesforce from $340.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Salesforce from $425.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 15th. DA Davidson reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $404.00 price objective (up from $393.00) on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Salesforce from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twenty-seven have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $348.16.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on CRM

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.

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