Salesforce.com (CRM) might be having a problem with its sales team, Wedbush analyst Steve Koenig said in a May 13 research report, as the company prepares to post Q1 earnings after the close Wednesday. The leading provider of customer relationship management software has been working to boost revenue by expanding into such areas as marketing services and data analytics, where it competes with Oracle (ORCL), Tableau Software (DATA) and others. Two
Apple’s cash hoard jumped 12% in 2014 to $178 billion, says Moody’s Investors Service, but Apple has also piled up debt to support its share buyback and dividend programs. Apple’s cash on hand again ranks tops among U.S. companies, Moody’s said in a research report. But Apple now also holds more debt than tech heavyweights IBM (IBM), Oracle (ORCL), Microsoft (MSFT), Cisco Systems (CSCO) or Intel (INTC), according to company reports. Apple on
Oracle (ORCL) and Microsoft are best-suited to acquire Salesforce.com, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff could succeed Larry Ellison as Oracle’s executive chairman if those firms merge, says Tom Roderick, an analyst for Stifel Nicolaus, in a research report late Wednesday. Roderick raised his price target on Salesforce stock to 83 from 78 following a report from Bloomberg that Salesforce.com has hired bankers to field offers after being approached