<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) shares shot up 3.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $180.78 and last traded at $179.3920. 13,521,349 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 12,884,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $173.51.</p><h2>Salesforce News Roundup</h2><ul><li>3 Stocks Leading the Charge in the Agentic AI Era</li></ul><p>Here are the key news stories impacting Salesforce this week:</p><ul>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Salesforce announced a <strong>$50 billion stock buyback</strong> alongside results that beat expectations, which supports the case for shareholder returns and signals management confidence. <i></i><span>Salesforce Announces $50 Billion Stock Buyback As Results Beat Targets</span></li>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Some market commentary continues to view CRM as a relatively attractive AI/cloud name, citing its <strong>steady growth profile and lower valuation</strong> versus peers like Oracle. <i></i><span>Salesforce vs. Oracle: Which AI-Driven Cloud Stock Is a Better Buy?</span></li>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Another Zacks piece highlighted Salesforce as one of several <strong>AI-powered software laggards with short-term upside</strong>, suggesting investors may still see a rebound opportunity if AI adoption accelerates. <i></i><span>Buy 5 AI-Powered Internet Software Laggards for Huge Short-Term Upside</span></li>   <li><span>Neutral Sentiment: </span>CEO Marc Benioff said Salesforce’s Slack AI can help identify employee concerns and surface key decisions, reinforcing the company’s AI narrative, though this is more of a product/technology update than an immediate financial catalyst. <i></i><span>Marc Benioff uses AI to find out what employees are complaining about on Slack</span></li>   <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>Bank of America initiated coverage with an <strong>Underperform</strong> rating and a <strong>$160 price target</strong>, implying downside from current levels and fueling concern that Salesforce’s AI story may be losing momentum. <i></i><span>Salesforce is now covered by Bank of America Corporation</span></li>   <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>Additional market coverage noted that BofA turned cautious on CRM in morning trading commentary, adding to the bearish analyst tone around the stock. <i></i><span>Monday's Morning Movers: Analysts Eye NOW, CRM &amp; LRCX as BRK/B Updates Holdings</span></li> </ul><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>A number of research firms have weighed in on CRM. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. dropped their price target on shares of Salesforce from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Salesforce from $290.00 to $210.00 and set a &#34;sector perform&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Bank of America began coverage on Salesforce in a research note on Monday. They issued an &#34;underperform&#34; rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Salesforce from $235.00 to $200.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Wedbush  reaffirmed an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Salesforce in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned  a Buy rating, eleven have issued  a Hold rating and two have assigned  a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average target price of $274.56.</p><ul><li>The Nasdaq's Historic Rally Doesn't Mean the Risk Is Gone</li></ul><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Analysis on CRM</b></p><h2>Salesforce Trading Up 3.4%</h2><p>The company has a 50-day moving average price of $184.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $215.37. The stock has a market cap of $146.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. </p><ul><li>These 3 Beaten-Down Stocks Just Announced Massive Share Buybacks</li></ul><p>Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The CRM provider reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.76. Salesforce had a net margin of 17.96% and a return on equity of 15.38%. The company had revenue of $11.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.78 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Salesforce has set its FY 2027 guidance at 13.110-13.190 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.110-3.130 EPS.  On average, research analysts expect that  Salesforce Inc. will post 9.71 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Salesforce Increases Dividend</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a boost from Salesforce's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. Salesforce's payout ratio is presently 22.54%. </p><p>Salesforce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Monday, March 16th that permits the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in    shares. This repurchase authorization permits the CRM provider to buy up to 14.1% of its stock  through open market purchases. Stock  repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued. </p><h2>Insider Activity at Salesforce</h2><p>In other news, Director David Blair Kirk purchased 2,570 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $194.62 per share, for a total transaction of $500,173.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 13,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,664,153.18. This represents a 23.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Laura Alber acquired 2,571 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $194.58 per share, with a total value of $500,265.18. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 9,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,854,347.40. This trade represents a 36.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 3.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Salesforce</h2><p>Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of  Salesforce during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000.  Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in  Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $26,000.  Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in  Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000.  Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in  Salesforce during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000.  Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new position in shares of  Salesforce in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 80.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>About Salesforce</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>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.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Salesforce</li><li>Why Applied Optoelectronics Stock May Be Near a Turning Point</li><li>From High-Yield to High-Growth: 3 Stocks Boosting Dividends</li><li>Is Everspin Technologies the Next AI Edge Breakout?</li><li>5 Robotics Stocks to Watch as Physical AI Builds Momentum</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Salesforce Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Salesforce, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Salesforce wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Salesforce currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

CRMG

<p>Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) shares rose 3.4% to $179.39, following a $50 billion stock buyback announcement and better-than-expected earnings. Analysts have mixed views, with Bank of America initiating coverage with an 'underperform' rating and a $160 target, while others maintain a 'buy' stance. The stock has a consensus rating of 'Moderate Buy' and an average target price of $274.56. Salesforce reported a Q1 EPS of $3.81, exceeding estimates, and revenue of $11.20 billion, up 12.1% year-over-year.</p>

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Trading Up 3.4% - Still a Buy?