Leelyn Smith LLC Grows Position in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Leelyn Smith LLC grew its stake in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,095 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $2,372,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $551,000. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Salesforce by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Salesforce by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,177,866 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $393,796,000 after buying an additional 21,410 shares in the last quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Salesforce by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,417 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $4,820,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Salesforce by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 453 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.

Salesforce Stock Performance

NYSE:CRM opened at $280.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $317.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $309.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $269.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.19, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.35. Salesforce, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.00 and a 1-year high of $369.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CRM shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Salesforce from $275.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Citigroup restated a “cautious” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Guggenheim reissued a “sell” rating and set a $247.00 price target on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $425.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $364.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.00, for a total value of $1,872,521.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,071,750. The trade was a 11.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 317,105 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.78, for a total transaction of $109,965,671.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,162,457 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,696,838.46. This represents a 2.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,108,793 shares of company stock worth $383,156,227. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.