Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC Purchases 100 Shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,629 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Salesforce in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% in the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Down 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE CRM opened at $294.80 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $330.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $306.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $282.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $340.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Northland Securities restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $440.00 target price (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “cautious” rating on shares of Salesforce in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirty-two have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.32.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $343.00, for a total value of $2,133,803.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,474,323. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Miguel Milano sold 458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.97, for a total value of $141,050.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,864 shares in the company, valued at $1,805,936.08. This trade represents a 7.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,102,572 shares of company stock worth $381,283,706. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by 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.