Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 1,694 Shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 84,147 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares during the quarter. Salesforce accounts for approximately 0.9% of Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $28,133,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Salesforce in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new position in Salesforce in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Salesforce

In other Salesforce news, Director G Mason Morfit sold 722,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.11, for a total value of $249,995,253.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,192,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,104,786,234.99. This trade represents a 18.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robin L. Washington purchased 1,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $294.61 per share, with a total value of $499,363.95. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 43,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,799,331.45. This trade represents a 4.06 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,108,793 shares of company stock valued at $383,156,227 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Stock Up 1.6 %

CRM opened at $292.05 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $325.91 and a 200 day moving average of $308.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. 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 $279.49 billion, a PE ratio of 48.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.35.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Macquarie dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $370.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $345.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, thirty-two have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.32.

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.