Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM – Get Free Report) traded down 3.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $179.58 and last traded at $181.1660. 10,256,319 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 12,913,151 shares. The stock had previously closed at $186.99.
More Salesforce News
Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company reoriented around AI agents and launched Agentforce Operations to automate cross-system back-office work — a strategic shift that underpins Salesforce’s long-term growth story and supports upgraded revenue targets. Salesforce (CRM) Launches Agentforce Operations to Automate Complex Cross-System Back-Office Tasks
- Positive Sentiment: Deeper Google Cloud integration and new AI-focused revenue segments are being highlighted as catalysts that could expand addressable market and support valuation upside as agents get traction. Salesforce (CRM) Valuation Check As AI Agent Push And Google Cloud Integration Gain Traction
- Positive Sentiment: Commercial traction: Merck Animal Health selected Salesforce’s Agentforce Life Sciences for customer engagement, signaling enterprise demand for the new agent-driven offerings. Merck Animal Health Selects Salesforce’s Agentforce Life Sciences for Customer Engagement to Transform Animal Care and Enhance Support Experiences for Employees
- Positive Sentiment: Institutional/analyst support: Barclays named CRM a top pick in infrastructure software and high-profile investors have touted the name; sell-side consensus remains “Buy,” which can provide a floor for sentiment. Is the Market Missing the Point on Salesforce Inc (CRM)’s AI Positioning?
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst ratings are positive on average, but some commentary warns that consensus recommendations can be overly optimistic — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Wall Street Analysts See Salesforce (CRM) as a Buy: Should You Invest?
- Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and peer comparisons (e.g., CRM vs. SPOT) are being debated — useful for longer-term allocation decisions but mixed in terms of near-term price impact. CRM vs. SPOT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
- Negative Sentiment: Shares are down despite broader market gains; investors are likely taking profits and reacting to the stock’s weak year-to-date performance and lingering valuation concerns. Salesforce (CRM) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note
- Negative Sentiment: Competition with Microsoft and other large cloud/AI players is intensifying around AI agents — the rivalry increases execution risk and could pressure multiples if market leaders consolidate share. Salesforce and Microsoft escalate AI agent rivalry in CRM
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Salesforce from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $290.00 to $210.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Salesforce from $398.00 to $287.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Salesforce from $280.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Salesforce presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.18.
Salesforce Stock Down 3.1%
The company has a market cap of $148.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $186.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.76.
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The CRM provider reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.76. The company had revenue of $11.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.18 billion. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.96% and a return on equity of 15.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.78 earnings per share. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 13.110-13.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.110-3.130 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Salesforce Inc. will post 9.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Salesforce Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a $0.44 dividend. This is a boost from Salesforce’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Salesforce’s payout ratio is presently 22.54%.
Salesforce announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, March 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the CRM provider to buy up to 14.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director David Blair Kirk bought 2,570 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $194.62 per share, with a total value of $500,173.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 13,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,664,153.18. This trade represents a 23.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Laura Alber bought 2,571 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $194.58 per share, with a total value of $500,265.18. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,530 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,347.40. This trade represents a 36.94% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new stake in Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 80.43% of the company’s stock.
About Salesforce
Salesforce, founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Francisco, is a global provider of cloud-based software focused on customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise applications. The company popularized the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for CRM and has built a broad portfolio of products designed to help organizations manage sales, service, marketing, commerce and analytics through a unified, cloud-first platform.
Core offerings include Sales Cloud for sales automation, Service Cloud for customer support, Marketing Cloud for digital marketing and engagement, and Commerce Cloud for e-commerce.
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