Howard Capital Management Inc. Has $2.10 Million Stock Holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,290 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after buying an additional 548 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $2,103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CRM. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC grew its position in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% in the 4th 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 bought a new stake in Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CRM shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler set a $405.00 price objective on Salesforce in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Salesforce from $300.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Salesforce from $360.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirty-two have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.53.

Salesforce Price Performance

CRM stock opened at $309.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $333.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $306.18. Salesforce, Inc. has a one year low of $212.00 and a one year high of $369.00. The company has a market capitalization of $296.23 billion, a PE ratio of 50.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.31.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($0.03). Salesforce had a net margin of 15.96% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The firm had revenue of $9.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.62 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.18, for a total transaction of $2,041,607.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at $15,342,415. This trade represents a 11.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Parker Harris sold 942 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.78, for a total transaction of $320,072.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 120,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,886,746.74. This represents a 0.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,102,114 shares of company stock valued at $381,142,656 over the last three months. 3.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.