Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Cuts Stock Position in Salesforce Inc. $CRM

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lessened its stake in shares of Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 24.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,289 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after selling 5,697 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $4,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Painted Porch Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Salesforce by 260.0% in the 2nd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 90 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Salesforce in the second quarter worth about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Salesforce by 314.8% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 112 shares of the CRM provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 383.3% during the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 116 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Salesforce Price Performance

NYSE CRM opened at $262.86 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $249.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $251.54. Salesforce Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.96 and a 52 week high of $367.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $246.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.09, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.26.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.39. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 14.41%. The company had revenue of $10.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Salesforce has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Salesforce Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th will be given a $0.416 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Salesforce’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.16%.

Key Headlines Impacting Salesforce

Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are turning more upbeat and raising price targets, which supports buyer interest and can drive near-term upside. Analysts love Salesforce stock and are raising their price targets
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat / MSN pieces argue CRM is set for a comeback in 2026 — citing AI exposure, institutional accumulation, buybacks/dividend increases and attractive longer-term upside — giving investors a clear bull narrative. 5 Reasons Salesforce Could Be One of 2026’s Best Trades
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights strong institutional ownership and signs of accumulation, which can stabilize the stock and amplify rebounds when sentiment improves. 5 reasons Salesforce could be one of 2026’s best trades
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation pieces are reassessing CRM after recent weakness — they note the stock pulled back on AI concerns but still see long-term value depending on growth assumptions, so risk/reward hinges on conviction in Salesforce’s AI monetization. Assessing Salesforce (CRM) Valuation After Recent AI Jitters And Share Price Weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry write-ups portray Salesforce as a contender amid AI disruption fears — supportive for long-term holders but flagging execution and competitive risks that deserve monitoring. Salesforce, Inc.: A Strong Contender for Growth Amidst AI Disruption Fears
• Neutral Sentiment: Opinion/analysis pieces urge diligence on specific AI initiatives and partners (e.g., third‑party offerings like Agentforce), signaling that not all AI-related moves are immediate catalysts. Salesforce: Take A Good Look At Agentforce Before You Invest
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting an early‑2026 pullback and headlines about a multi‑percent decline underscore lingering investor concern about AI disruption and 2025 performance — such headlines can trigger short‑term selling and higher volatility. Salesforce and Adobe Start 2026 With a 5% Plunge—Should Investors Buy or Bail?
• Negative Sentiment: Articles flagging the recent pullback and warning that institutional holders might react could presage more selling if guidance or early‑year results disappoint. Salesforce, Inc.’s (NYSE:CRM) recent 3.6% pullback adds to one-year year losses, institutional owners may take drastic measures

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CRM shares. Macquarie upped their price objective on Salesforce from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Salesforce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $360.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.74.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 2,250 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total transaction of $580,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,911,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,075,567,632.20. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director G Mason Morfit bought 96,000 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $260.58 per share, with a total value of $25,015,680.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,994,509 shares in the company, valued at $780,309,155.22. This represents a 3.31% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have sold 157,284 shares of company stock valued at $37,274,684 over the last quarter. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.