Van Strum & Towne Inc. Grows Holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Van Strum & Towne Inc. grew its stake in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,109 shares of the CRM provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Salesforce comprises 0.0% of Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s holdings in Salesforce were worth $7,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 36,473 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $12,194,000 after purchasing an additional 4,752 shares in the last quarter. Nabity Jensen Investment Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,215,000. Athena Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Aljian Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Salesforce by 16.1% in the third quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 13,258 shares of the CRM provider’s stock valued at $3,629,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,321,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Up 3.0 %

CRM stock opened at $279.76 on Friday. Salesforce, Inc. has a one year low of $212.00 and a one year high of $369.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $268.85 billion, a PE ratio of 46.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $318.03 and a 200-day moving average of $308.70.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, CFO Amy E. Weaver sold 6,221 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,750 shares in the company, valued at $14,071,750. This trade represents a 11.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 317,105 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.78, for a total transaction of $109,965,671.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,162,457 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,217,696,838.46. This represents a 2.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,108,793 shares of company stock worth $383,156,227. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CRM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Salesforce in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Macquarie dropped their price objective 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. Citigroup reissued a “cautious” rating on shares of Salesforce in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Salesforce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $300.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.62.

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.